Discuss all aspects of raising poultry. No topic is too small
Revaluing our eggs!
I found that this month the price of our regular organic layers pellets has risen 2.50 per 20kg bag. For me that's 20 euros a month extra. Over the past year a 25kg bag of whole wheat has crept from 7.00 to 9.25. Horse shavings is up also oyster shell. How do we value our eggs? I'm interested to know what other people charge their friends and neighbours who are lucky enough to benefit from our surplus?
Joseph lawler
Monday, February 7th, 2022 regular hen eggs I charge €2 per half dozen.
Im buying layers pellets at €11.50 a bag so I am still makng profit
Jack hilliard
Monday, February 7th, 2022 That's what we charged until Feb 1st. Now we have upped that to 2.50 for hen eggs and 3.00 for duck. The organic layers is now 16.64. I don't actually know if we make anything or not!
Joseph lawler
Monday, February 7th, 2022 If you’re trying to make money , buying organic 20kg bags does not make sense anymore with the price it is now.
Connections need to be made with local farmers and your own mix made in bulk.
Adrian Kelly
Monday, February 7th, 2022 I'd like to move away from buying in any poultry food.
Has anyone gone totally self sufficient with this?
What do ye use for a complete balanced diet, grow extra veg etc?
Cork Wyandotte
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022 Not sure what you mean Adrian about connecting with the local famers. Do you mean with those that grow the produce to buy from them direct? As far as I know there is not enough organic cereals grown in this country so it has to come in from England and that's what's driving up the price at the moment. Trying to cut out not buying any like Cork Wyandotte says doesn't sound feasible either.
Joseph lawler
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022 I charge €2.00 per 1/2 dozen to those people I sell to directly. But I only get €1.75 per 1/2 dozen at my local shop that I supply with Free Range Eggs. Or €1.80 per 1/2 dozen sometimes at another shop. I am able to buy 20kg bags of Layers Pellets for €9.66 a bag, at the moment, if I buy in bulk.
I feed my laying hens mostly a commercial layers pellets. But then I let them out during most of the daylight to free range.
craigmartin
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022 @Cork Wyandotte There two important things that to come to mind straight away...First you will have to grow extra veg or nutrient rich greens constantly.And the other is how will you substitute their daily protein intake. And if you figure this out think the amount of work involved which is a lot.
Your best bet is to try to supplementing.
Free ranging mid Spring to mid Autumn and they will eat less of you would normally feed and supplement themselves .From mid Autumn to mid spring give them less of what you would normaly feed them and supplement with fruits,veg,greens you started growing late spring and through out the summer and that will store for long periods.For instance I grew mixed pumpkins last year to give to my hens over the winter and kept some seeds from the best ones to grow again this year to feed in winter again and I had also some spare cabbage heads to give them.You have to plan a head for supplementing this way.
I also make up my own feed from what ever grains I can source locally
It always works out cheaper for me and always seems to be rolled oats,rolled barley and maize.I have fed my birds this for years and they have always thrived.
I hope this helps.
roostercroweburn
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022 Buying in bulk is not an option for me. It's quite a juggling act to fit the 8 bags I buy a month into my containers. I am curious Craigmartin how do you manage to sell through your local shop? Have you gone through all the endless red tape to do that?
Joseph lawler
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022 Joesph , do you have a very small area? Wheelie bins , large plastic garden storage units or coal bunkers hold quite a bit and are often next to nothing on adverts or market place.
Connecting with local farmers.. exactly what it says on the tin. There’s quite a few organic farmers. The problem is there is no directory so some searching would be involved as I mentioned. It’ll be difficult now at this time of the year to get grain but many are beef farmers as well so grain will be there .
Adrian Kelly
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022 Know I didn't go through any red tape myself. And we just sell the eggs. That's about all there is to it. There has been very little fuss about it. One time I think I heard that somebody said I might have to do something a little differently but even that wouldn't be major at all. It just had to do with how I date my eggs. I am not the only one who has sold eggs there like this either. There have been other people like me who have sold eggs there as well.
For at least some of my bulk storage I use fairly sealable barrels. I get in 30-40 20kg bags at a time. I have neighbors that I can sell it to as well which allows me to buy more at a time and use it up quicker.
craigmartin
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022 Sorry Craig. Didn't mean that to sound interogating. I think it's great that you can do that. It's just not possible to do where I am in Kildare. I tried an honestly box for a while during lockdown which worked most of the time until free range was mistaken for free! Thanks Adrian. I will need to keep my eyes and ears open to see what's on offer around me. Thanks everyone for the replies.
Joseph lawler
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022 No you're fine Joseph. I am happy to answer questions like that.
craigmartin
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022 I think its madness trying to make money out of selling eggs,I supplied butcher shops all through my childhood and all because I hadn't the sence not to and back then feed was just a couple of pounds a bag there was a better feed to egg price return but still were talking small money,and the way things are going feed will continue to rise,its gone up about 35% to 40 % in the last two years thats on all grains cattle horse sheep or what ever feed I cant wait to see the prices this coming harvest with the current price of fertilizer.
paddycrawford
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
You must be registered with an email address to comment.
Revaluing our eggs!
I found that this month the price of our regular organic layers pellets has risen 2.50 per 20kg bag. For me that's 20 euros a month extra. Over the past year a 25kg bag of whole wheat has crept from 7.00 to 9.25. Horse shavings is up also oyster shell. How do we value our eggs? I'm interested to know what other people charge their friends and neighbours who are lucky enough to benefit from our surplus?
Monday, February 7th, 2022
regular hen eggs I charge €2 per half dozen.
Im buying layers pellets at €11.50 a bag so I am still makng profit
Monday, February 7th, 2022
That's what we charged until Feb 1st. Now we have upped that to 2.50 for hen eggs and 3.00 for duck. The organic layers is now 16.64. I don't actually know if we make anything or not!
Monday, February 7th, 2022
If you’re trying to make money , buying organic 20kg bags does not make sense anymore with the price it is now.
Connections need to be made with local farmers and your own mix made in bulk.
Monday, February 7th, 2022
I'd like to move away from buying in any poultry food.
Has anyone gone totally self sufficient with this?
What do ye use for a complete balanced diet, grow extra veg etc?
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022
Not sure what you mean Adrian about connecting with the local famers. Do you mean with those that grow the produce to buy from them direct? As far as I know there is not enough organic cereals grown in this country so it has to come in from England and that's what's driving up the price at the moment. Trying to cut out not buying any like Cork Wyandotte says doesn't sound feasible either.
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022
I charge €2.00 per 1/2 dozen to those people I sell to directly. But I only get €1.75 per 1/2 dozen at my local shop that I supply with Free Range Eggs. Or €1.80 per 1/2 dozen sometimes at another shop. I am able to buy 20kg bags of Layers Pellets for €9.66 a bag, at the moment, if I buy in bulk.
I feed my laying hens mostly a commercial layers pellets. But then I let them out during most of the daylight to free range.
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022
@Cork Wyandotte There two important things that to come to mind straight away...First you will have to grow extra veg or nutrient rich greens constantly.And the other is how will you substitute their daily protein intake. And if you figure this out think the amount of work involved which is a lot.
Your best bet is to try to supplementing.
Free ranging mid Spring to mid Autumn and they will eat less of you would normally feed and supplement themselves .From mid Autumn to mid spring give them less of what you would normaly feed them and supplement with fruits,veg,greens you started growing late spring and through out the summer and that will store for long periods.For instance I grew mixed pumpkins last year to give to my hens over the winter and kept some seeds from the best ones to grow again this year to feed in winter again and I had also some spare cabbage heads to give them.You have to plan a head for supplementing this way.
I also make up my own feed from what ever grains I can source locally
It always works out cheaper for me and always seems to be rolled oats,rolled barley and maize.I have fed my birds this for years and they have always thrived.
I hope this helps.
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022
Buying in bulk is not an option for me. It's quite a juggling act to fit the 8 bags I buy a month into my containers. I am curious Craigmartin how do you manage to sell through your local shop? Have you gone through all the endless red tape to do that?
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
Joesph , do you have a very small area? Wheelie bins , large plastic garden storage units or coal bunkers hold quite a bit and are often next to nothing on adverts or market place.
Connecting with local farmers.. exactly what it says on the tin. There’s quite a few organic farmers. The problem is there is no directory so some searching would be involved as I mentioned. It’ll be difficult now at this time of the year to get grain but many are beef farmers as well so grain will be there .
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
Know I didn't go through any red tape myself. And we just sell the eggs. That's about all there is to it. There has been very little fuss about it. One time I think I heard that somebody said I might have to do something a little differently but even that wouldn't be major at all. It just had to do with how I date my eggs. I am not the only one who has sold eggs there like this either. There have been other people like me who have sold eggs there as well.
For at least some of my bulk storage I use fairly sealable barrels. I get in 30-40 20kg bags at a time. I have neighbors that I can sell it to as well which allows me to buy more at a time and use it up quicker.
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
Sorry Craig. Didn't mean that to sound interogating. I think it's great that you can do that. It's just not possible to do where I am in Kildare. I tried an honestly box for a while during lockdown which worked most of the time until free range was mistaken for free! Thanks Adrian. I will need to keep my eyes and ears open to see what's on offer around me. Thanks everyone for the replies.
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
No you're fine Joseph. I am happy to answer questions like that.
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
I think its madness trying to make money out of selling eggs,I supplied butcher shops all through my childhood and all because I hadn't the sence not to and back then feed was just a couple of pounds a bag there was a better feed to egg price return but still were talking small money,and the way things are going feed will continue to rise,its gone up about 35% to 40 % in the last two years thats on all grains cattle horse sheep or what ever feed I cant wait to see the prices this coming harvest with the current price of fertilizer.
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022