Raising backyard chickens and selling their eggs can be a great way to earn some extra income. However determining the right price to sell your eggs at can be tricky. You want to make sure you are pricing your eggs fairly based on your costs and time but also competitively so people will buy them. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through all the factors to consider when pricing your backyard chicken eggs for sale.
Calculating Your Costs
The first step is to calculate your costs associated with raising chickens and producing eggs. This will give you a baseline price that you need to at least break even. Here are some of the main costs to factor in:
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Chicken Feed – The biggest ongoing cost for egg production is feed. Assume each chicken eats about 1/2 pound of feed per day. At $15 for a 50 lb bag, that’s around $0.30 per day per chicken. For 200 eggs a year, that’s $0.15 feed cost per egg.
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Housing – The one-time cost of building or buying a chicken coop and run. Budget at least $5 per chicken.
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Equipment – Items like feeders, waterers, nesting boxes. Allow another $5 per bird.
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Chick Purchase – Expect to pay $3-5 per chick
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Healthcare – Cost of vaccines, medications, supplies for keeping chickens healthy. Budget $5-10 annually per bird.
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Egg Cartons – Styrofoam cartons cost 20-30 cents each and can be reused a few times
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Utilities – Electricity or gas if you provide heat and lighting in the coop.
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Labor – Your time spent caring for the chickens and collecting eggs.
When you add up all these costs and divide by the number of eggs, you arrive at a break-even price per egg to cover your expenses. This is the minimum you’ll need to charge. For example, if your annual costs for a 5 bird flock totals $475, you’ll need to charge at least $0.95 per egg ($475 / 200 eggs / 5 chickens).
Compare Market Egg Prices
Once you know your base cost, compare that to store-bought egg prices in your area. Organic, free-range, pasture-raised eggs tend to cost between $4-6 per dozen retail. Local farm eggs often go for $2-4 per dozen. It makes sense to price your backyard eggs competitively within this range based on their quality and freshness.
You can also check prices that other backyard chicken owners charge for eggs in your area. Search online sales forums and community groups to see what the going rate is. Price your eggs in line with the broader backyard egg market in your locality.
Factors That Could Allow a Premium Price
Certain attributes of your eggs may allow you to charge a premium well above mass-produced egg prices:
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Breeds – Heritage breeds like Ameraucanas, Marans, Welsummers that lay colorful blue, green, or chocolate eggs.
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Feed – Documented all-organic, non-GMO, soy-free feed diet.
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Housing – Mobile coops allowing chickens to access fresh pasture daily.
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Farm Practices – Demonstrated humane, ethical treatment of chickens and sustainable practices.
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Certifications – Official organic, animal welfare, or other eco-friendly certifications.
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Rarity – Rare chicken breeds.
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Extra Large – Eggs weighing 2.5 ounces or more.
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Extreme Freshness – Eggs sold within hours of being laid.
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Farm Pickup – The convenience of customers picking up at your farm.
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Farm Experience – Providing an engaging farm tour or chicken meet-and-greet.
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Packaging – Unique, eco-friendly, or decorative egg cartons.
The more special qualities your eggs have, the more you can justify pricing them at a premium over basic white eggs from caged factory hens.
Pricing Strategies
Once you’ve analyzed your costs and the market, here are some pricing strategies and examples you can consider:
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Cost Plus Pricing – Take your break-even cost per egg and add a fixed markup percentage to achieve your target profit. For instance, if your cost is 95¢ per egg, marking up 35% would bring the retail price to $1.28 per egg.
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Value-Based Pricing – Charge according to the maximum perceived value your customers place on your eggs based on special qualities like being local, free-range, etc. This is often 50-100% above commercial egg prices.
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Price Skimming – Start high, at say $5 per dozen, then gradually drop the price until you reach optimal sales velocity. Useful for gauging maximum pricing tolerance.
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Price Lining – Offer a range of options at different price points – standard, organic, soy-free, pastured, etc.
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Volume Discounts – Offer progressively lower unit pricing for larger egg purchases – e.g. $5/dozen, 5 dozens for $22, 10 dozens $42. Incentivizes bulk purchases.
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Price Bundling – Package eggs with other farm products like honey, jam, etc. for an appealing all-in-one price.
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Price Matching – Match competitors’ prices if they are lower than yours.
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Odd Pricing – Set prices at uneven amounts like $5.95/dozen instead of $6.00 to seem like a better deal.
Determining how much to sell your backyard chicken eggs for requires looking at your production costs, comparing local market egg prices, and evaluating any special qualities that enable pricing premiums. Most small backyard flocks can profitably sell eggs in the $3-5 per dozen range by highlighting freshness, farm practices, and uniqueness. As you build up loyal customers, you’ll gain flexibility on pricing according to demand and may be able to charge premium prices for truly differentiated eggs. With the right pricing strategy, your homegrown eggs can become a steady revenue stream and provide community members with a local, healthy food source.
Setting Up Your Own Roadside Egg Stand
So, if you decide to have a cute little roadside egg stand, what are some ways to do this? I have searched the internet and have dreamed about repurposing a piece of furniture or even building a small stand for the end of our driveway. I’ll attach some of my favorites here. But, for now, I just set up a little table with a pretty tablecloth and some signage and have had great results!
I live in a great neighborhood where the people are very trustworthy. I leave my eggs, a sign explaining that I take Venmo, Apple Pay or cash. I also say that I don’t give change, so if their bill is bigger, it’s a tip for me. If they don’t have enough cash, it’s a gift from me. I also leave a basket so they can return clean egg cartons. I will deliver eggs as well, but really wanted to avoid a lot of extra time on the road doing that. The roadside stand has helped with that!
Our kids selling garden produce and eggs. They love doing this!
Minnesota Egg Sales Guidelines
According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, I can happily sell my eggs as long as they are, “clean and free of debris prior to sale.” Dry cleaning your eggs with an abrasive material such as sandpaper is generally recommended. Wet cleaning using rags, sponges, or other devices to scrub or wipe by hand is prohibited.” And, as we all know, if you need to clean/wash your eggs, they need to be refrigerated after that.
Personally, I collect my eggs frequently to keep them clean and avoid the need for refrigeration. This ensures I can sell fresh eggs right from my roadside stand without hassle.
From Nest to Market: How We Collect, Package and Sell Eggs
FAQ
How much can I make selling chicken eggs?
1 Leghorn Chicken that lays 300 eggs a year, and your family eats 0 eggs. Then you could sell 25 dozen eggs a year. In one year, this would yield you a gross profit of $100 if sold at $4 a dozen. To make profit off of selling chicken eggs, economies of scale really play a factor.
How much should I sell a dozen of eggs for?
On average, Americans are paying $4.95 for a dozen Grade A large eggs, based on the BLS data. That price reflects the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) data available as of January 2025.
How much do farmers sell eggs for?
You will see fresh farm eggs range from $3/ dozen to $8 per dozen around here. If you join local homesteader or farm fb groups and ask who’s selling you will find eggs at better prices. If you have a particular budget or circumstance you can write about that. Many egg sellers would be happy to give you a deal.
How many eggs can you get for a dollar if eggs are 12 a dozen?
Specify if you could only buy them by the dozen. So it would be 96 (8 dozen) eggs OR 100 individual eggs.
How much money can you make selling chicken eggs?
1 Leghorn Chicken that lays 300 eggs a year, and your family eats 0 eggs. Then you could sell 25 dozen eggs a year. In one year, this would yield you a gross profit of $100 if sold at $4 a dozen. To make profit off of selling chicken eggs, economies of scale really play a factor. Let’s look at this based on a flock of 20.
How much money can you make selling chickens?
This depends on several factors such as how many chickens you have, how many eggs you intend to sell, and how productive your hens are. 1 Leghorn Chicken that lays 300 eggs a year, and your family eats 0 eggs. Then you could sell 25 dozen eggs a year. In one year, this would yield you a gross profit of $100 if sold at $4 a dozen.
Should you sell chicken eggs?
People are increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it is produced. By selling fresh eggs from your backyard, you can tap into this trend and provide your community with a healthy and sustainable source of food. Thirdly, selling chicken eggs can be a flexible source of income.
How many eggs can you sell a week?
For a complete list of egg selling laws by state, you can head over to the NERO website, an organization that works to support and regulate the egg industry in the USA. 3. Calculate How Many Chickens You Need to Raise The general idea is that you can get about a dozen eggs a week from three chickens.
How do I start selling chicken eggs?
To get started with selling chicken eggs, you will need to invest in some basic equipment. The first thing you will need is a chicken coop or shelter. This can be a small shed or even a converted playhouse. The coop should be big enough to house your chickens comfortably and have enough space for nesting boxes and perches.
How many laying hens do you need to sell chicken eggs?
*Note: If you have over 3,000 laying hens you must comply with US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Egg Safety Rule. Although some backyard chicken egg selling laws do vary based on location, these are essential pieces of information that every chicken farmer needs to include.