How to Sell Your Fresh Chicken Eggs

Your hens are laying and you’re ready for them to start helping pay for the feed they are consuming. But how do you begin selling eggs? Who is going to buy from you? Where are you going to sell them? And what about state laws? We’ve got some awesome tips and a really helpful freebie to have you selling eggs in no time! Here’s how to sell your fresh chicken eggs!

Rest Assured Everyone Wants Eggs!

Eggs are easy to sell. Everyone uses them. You’ll soon discover that people want to buy more eggs than your hens lay. (This is a perfect excuse for having more hens than you “need”.) My current flock of 16 hens averages about 13 eggs laid per day and I rarely have a dozen eggs of my own in the fridge.

First Things First

People enjoy eating good quality food and when they buy fresh laid eggs, they expect to find nice, deep-colored yolks. If your hens are not able to eat grass or free range and the yolks are not orangey, you may not get the best price for your eggs but that’s okay – they are still desirable. If, on the other hand, your hens are exclusively free ranged and the thick shells reveal a vibrant orange yolk when cracked, you can expect to receive top dollar for your eggs.

Check out your local laws

The next thing you need to do is check out your local laws. Are you allowed to sell eggs without a permit or license? This Egg Laws by State website is a fantastic resource that will let you check instantly. Chances are you will need to follow some rules when it comes to your egg carton labeling.

custom carton toppers are an option, too

If your state requires you to include special text, wording, a licensing number or producer address on your carton, I’ve got you covered. You can visit my Etsy shop and have a custom egg carton topper designed. If you’re giving away eggs, the free printable egg carton topper below can likely be used. Most laws only refer to the selling of eggs, not the giving away of free eggs. Sometimes states limit what wording you can use, such as prohibiting the use of farm fresh, organic, selected, or large without a license. Safe egg handling instructions are usually required to appear somewhere on the carton label if you are selling eggs.

Follow your state laws wisely. It is easier to spend a couple dollars to stay on the safe side of the law than it is to run into trouble later.

A little cuteness goes a long way

You don’t need to rent space at a farmer’s market to sell eggs. Our son loves selling eggs during garage sale Saturdays to take advantage of the increased traffic. A crisp white setup is eye-catching and can be achieved by painting a small table, shelf or baskets the same color. A white sign with black letters is easily read by passers by. Our sign is nothing more than a block of wood with black vinyl lettering. If you must sell eggs refrigerated, don’t let that stop you. The egg cartons pictured above are empty and intended for visual appeal; refrigerated eggs can be handed directly to buyers at the time of purchase. No one minds, so long as they get to pick their carton color!

Word of Mouth Travels Fast

Selling to co-workers is one of the easiest arrangements if your employer will allow it. People appreciate having their eggs delivered. Investing in the colorful paper pulp cartons might be worth it to grab attention and get those first couple of regulars. (Nobody complains when you switch to regular cartons later.)

Everyone likes free samples

Giving some eggs away so people can try their first free range, orange yolked egg can be a great way to gain your first customers. Below is a cute carton label that is legal to use in most states for giving away free eggs and is Texas state law compliant for selling eggs. (Again, check your state laws and local health codes; some states are more picky than others.) The “Produced By” line is for filling in your name and address, which Texas requires, but it’s also a great way to get your empty cartons returned!

Download a Cute Free Egg Carton Topper Here!

While this topper does have safe egg handling instructions, other states may require more information be included or certain words not be used. Click the picture above to go directly to our Etsy shop if you know you’ll need something custom!

bonus freebie: Texas State Compliant Egg Carton Topper For Easter Egger Eggs

A second farmer’s market-ready design for my fellow Texans. You’ll need to type your name and address on the “Produced by” line before printing – or hand write it later in legible print – to satisfy that portion of our state law. Safe handling wording means these toppers are legal for blank cartons. In Texas you must purchase all new cartons to sell your eggs at a farmer’s market to the general public and can only refill your own marked cartons, never any grocery store cartons. It is important to follow state and local health department laws when selling to the general public, which includes more restrictions than I’ve listed here.

bonus freebie: topper for giving eggs to neighbors

This design is not state law compliant for selling eggs, but is fine for giving away free eggs. And who doesn’t love free fresh-laid eggs?!!

Cleanliness is Divine

Only sell clean eggs. It is also a good idea to check state laws to see if they have to be sold washed and/or refrigerated. A few eggs do get a tiny smudge of yucky on them, mostly from being bumped by a hen with dirty feet. I wash these eggs and put them in my fridge organizer for my own personal use. Sometimes we get an egg smaller than the usual size, which I also keep and use myself. About once a month we get an egg that looks truly awful, for one reason or another, and my dogs enjoy them. Your best looking, cleanest, normal sized eggs should be the ones you sell.

No One Wants Yucky Eggs

The above image is an example of what we affectionately refer to around our house as a “dog egg”. Our Welsummer, Cinnamon, stepped in poop shortly before entering the nest box. After laying an egg with a feather stuck to it, she then stepped on the egg, depositing poop and cracking it. The egg probably rolled afterwards, allowing straw from the nest box to stick to the poop as it dried. This is how we found it. (Cinnamon has become a bit famous on our Weird Egg page because of her red-colored egg pigmentation issues, which make her eating eggs less sellable in general, even without poop on them!) This is the worst egg we have ever gotten and the timing could not have been a more perfect illustration for this post. Don’t sell these eggs. The cracked shell means it is unfit for human consumption and will quickly spoil.

(For those who are wondering, eggs are typically laid clean without any poop on them. The eggs shown in the other example images are unwashed. That’s how they usually look in the nest box.)

Pricing

Finally! The information you really wanted to know! How much can you sell your eggs for?

Unfortunately your local market prices have already been set by others. You’ll need to try to match what others are asking if you’re hoping for a steady trickle of income. If, however, you are feeding your hens in a special way, are exclusively free ranging or using a specific diet to provide superior quality eggs, you can charge what you feel is fair. (Again, free range eggs sold at local grocery stores will probably influence your pricing.) Keep in mind that folks coming directly to you to buy eggs is a little less convenient than just picking up a dozen at the store so price accordingly.

Of course that doesn’t tell you anything about how much you’ll make!

Each area is going to vary. 50¢ per egg or $6 per dozen is a good guesstimate of how much you can ask. If you live in the country surrounded by others selling yard eggs, it’s closer to $3 per dozen and the quality varies widely. Transport your free-range, orange yolked eggs a little closer in towards the suburbs or city and $7 to $8 per dozen is the current going rate in Houston, Texas with farmer’s markets typically asking about $7 per dozen.

just a heads up

Here’s an interesting tidbit to be aware of. During any sort of storm, natural disaster or emergency that empties grocery stores, be aware that people will contact you in droves to buy eggs since the stores may be sold out. Keep your prices fair (price gouging is illegal in 34 states any ways) and help as many people as you can. Some will become regulars from then on. It’s a good idea to keep a few new, empty cartons that could be filled at a moment’s notice on-hand during the storm seasons. (Affiliate link.)

Whew, that was a lot of info!

I realize state laws and regulations can make it a bit intimidating to begin marketing your eggs but don’t feel overwhelmed. A little online research is all that is needed, and maybe a little design help when it comes to labeling. Once this task is complete, you will enjoy selling your eggs for years to come as a conscientious local producer. I hope this post has given you the confidence to know how to sell your fresh chicken eggs!

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