Packaging your delicious, farm fresh eggs in a charming, eye-catching way is much LESS expensive than you may think! Attractive stamped egg cartons command top dollar at the farm stand and in online sales because people cannot resist a bit of country cuteness in their kitchen. Here are our favorite tips, tricks, and discounts to give your eggs that irresistible farmhouse appeal!
Stamped Egg Cartons Sell!
Adorably cute, farmhousey stamped egg cartons are suddenly trending hard. Who doesn’t love a picturesque carton of hand gathered farm fresh eggs? Buyers adore the look of gray and kraft brown pulp cartons stamped with an idyllic design that evokes romantic ideas of country life. Many people are seeking to be more in touch with their food, to buy local and support nearby farms. Since pasture raised eggs are a common initial purchase, you have the opportunity to make a stunning first impression that keeps people coming back for more!
Where Do I Start?
Begin by selecting an egg carton stamp that will fit the paper pulp cartons you prefer to use. 6X2 inch stamps are a common size for full dozen pulp cartons. If you sell half dozen cartons and hatching eggs, a 4×2 inch or square 3×3 inch might give you more options from one stamp. Whatever you choose, search for your state’s egg selling laws to discover what information you must have on the carton and select your stamp(s) accordingly.
Think Reusable
While it is extremely popular to have cartons with your farm name, you might consider offering stamped egg cartons that are attractive but unbranded on their decorative top and thus reusable as decor. State laws often require that your address be on the carton somewhere but it usually does not have to appear on the top. Stamp that info on the back side and opt for a gorgeous primary design that has buyers scooping them up just so they can have the carton look darling in their fridge. They’ll be back for many more and even give them as gifts to family members. This is how word-of-mouth sales explode, resulting in effortless, regular income.
Local Carton Sales
If you invested in a generic stamp with no farm name on it, you can sell stamped empty cartons to local backyard flock keepers. Purchasing cartons in bulk for 50-55¢ each and selling stamped cartons for $1 each is a 45-50% profit margin. Duck egg cartons are notoriously hard to find. Purchase Jumbo cartons with minimum 7 inch tab spacing and stamp with a duck egg design to fetch $1.25 each. Before stamping, it is a good idea to ensure the jumbo cartons will fit the largest duck eggs you sell. You can order a sample pack of the jumbo sized cartons from Amazon to try them out before ordering in bulk. (Amazon affiliate link.)
Buy Cartons in Bulk
I have found great prices at EggCartonsOnline.com when ordering blank pulp cartons by the case. I love the Pillo Post brand cartons with their smooth tops for easy stamping and ability to hold jumbo chicken eggs. Their kraft brown pulp coordinates perfectly with natural twine and kraft colored tags for adorable gift giving. The half dozen cartons are adorable, too, but require a separate 4×2 inch stamp. (Affiliate links.)
Price Accordingly
Adding farmhousey appeal to your eggs will yield much higher returns from increased sales at a higher price-per-dozen. Our local farmer’s market offers pastured eggs for $7-$8 per dozen and any that are attractively packaged sell out quickly. Shoppers cannot help themselves when they see someone being handed a cute parcel of eggs – they want one, too! Have some empty cartons on display, marked for individual sale. You might be surprised by how many people just want to buy the carton alone!
All Dolled Up
Your cartons can be dressed up for easy, effortless teacher and neighbor gifts. (Who doesn’t like a free dozen when so much holiday baking needs to be done?) Here I’ve used burlap and lace ribbon wrapped in baker’s twine with a burlap flower affixed with Glue Dots. (Affiliate links.) Offering tied and tagged cartons as ready-to-purchase teacher gifts is a simple way to increase egg sales. The same stamps you use on top work for stamping inside the carton lid, too.
Fair warning: you may find yourself slightly inundated with orders if you post such cute pictures around Easter, Thanksgiving or Teacher Appreciation week!
Hatching Egg Sales Boost
Attractively packaged hatching eggs that reflect the care you put into your breeding program greatly increases the perceived value of your fertile eggs. If you’ve got a phenomenal flock producing stunning egg colors, adorable packaging helps you get top dollar. I’ve got information here and here that describe how selling hatching eggs can become a profitable hobby business. (Hint: the secret is breeding for colored egg layers and providing beautiful images, including a picture of how the eggs will come packaged.) Stamped cartons and styled egg scenes create eye-catching online images that will have buyers eagerly joining your hatching egg wait list!
How to Stamp Cartons Perfectly Every Time
The secret is to cut a 2×4 piece of scrap wood to the correct dimensions to fit under the carton lid, providing a firm surface on which to stamp a nice, crisp impression. A 2×4 piece cut to 9 inches long is the perfect size to fit under your one dozen carton lid to provide a sturdy stamping base. The same piece of wood can be held in place to offer support while stamping the front flap and back side of the carton.
Ink Pad Selection for Stamped Egg Cartons
I prefer using a jumbo 5×7 inch ink pad with my egg carton stamps. This gray is a fantastic option and is the dark charcoal ink pad and stamp impression shown in the example image above. Sepia brown offers a nice tone-on-tone look when used on kraft cartons and can set your eggs apart. (Affiliate links.) Avoid light colored inks which will leave too faint a mark or an illegible impression.
How to Clean Your Stamps
Use a paper towel moistened with rubbing alcohol (any percent concentration) and press your stamp onto it. Gently blot away the ink until the red rubber face appears clean. Some ink will impregnate the rubber with a permanent stain, which is expected. Let air dry for a couple minutes before storing.
Bundle and Save
Long-lasting, real red rubber and maple wood stamps are a good investment and I’ve got a couple ways you can save. My 2-in-1 designs save both stamping time and money. Readers can use coupon code BUY2DEAL to save $5 off any stamp purchase totaling $67 or more.
Easily Comply with State and Federal Laws
Federal Safe Handling Instructions are required by law to appear on the outside of every carton of eating eggs sold in the United States. But no one said it has to look unattractive! I’ve designed ½ inch, ¾ inch and full 1 inch tall stamps to fit multiple style pulp cartons so meeting legal egg selling requirements is a breeze. Your cartons will safely pass any surprise inspections.
Packaging that Benefits You
Stamps provide you the ability to legally package your eggs for sale at a moment’s notice if the income stream is suddenly needed. Likewise, commercial egg shortages and grocery store sell outs are becoming a more frequent reality, driving consumers to seek local producers. Search online for and carefully review your state’s egg selling laws to determine what wording is needed and order stamps for the top and sides of your carton.
Keep State and Federal Laws in Mind
Remember that using the word “Fresh” as in Farm Fresh on the outside of any carton of eggs for sale in the United States is illegal unless the eggs have been professionally graded. Use of the word Fresh is fine on cartons that are being gifted.
Not Just for Eggs
Cookies, bath bombs and treats of all sorts are making their way into inexpensive, darling little egg cartons. We can help your products be recognized with various sized custom stamp designs, including allergen wording or other unique packaging needs. Merchandise tag and gift bag stamps are significantly cheaper than paying for commercial printing services and allow you to craft as many as your business needs forever.
Use Photography to Your Advantage
If you like the fresh-air-and-sunshine look of our images, learn how to stage similar product photos HERE! I photograph on a white painted potting bench outside in natural daylight using fresh flowers, farmhouse decor, natural twine, straw and hand gathered eggs from our flock.
Stand Out with Stamped Egg Cartons
Buyers adore the attractive, reusable packaging and gift recipients will appreciate the farmhousey charm that is irresistibly cute! Whether trying to increase income from the local farmer’s market or ensuring your hatching eggs fetch top dollar, stamped egg cartons will attract the positive attention and word-of-mouth sales you are seeking to generate!
MJ says
I have been studying your pages regarding egg color breeding, as well as searching other sources to learn more. I am getting conflicting information out there in the world wide web regarding Olive Egger breeding passed the F1 generations. If you can help clarify based upon your experiences with them, please let me know or direct me to the proper information. Most concur that F1s will yield Olive Eggers, but regarding the second breedings there is no consensus. Can you breed an F1 back to a dark brown egg layer parent and hatch only Olive layers or will there be a chance for Brown layers too? It seems that breeding F1 to F1 Olives is not the way to go because this will produce some olives, browns, blues, right? Thank you for your time. I love your Etsy shop!
Tay Silver says
Hi MJ!
I think a lot of confusion when breeding F2 Olive Eggers comes because there are a number of variables at play! To breed a TRUE F2 Olive Egger, you must cross an F1 (or greater) Olive Egger Roo with an F1 Olive Egger Hen. This will result in an estimated 50% of offspring laying an olive egg and 50% of offspring laying a shade of brown egg. But of course the shade of each depends on the genes each adult chicken used in the breeding is carrying. It is not possible for F1 OE x F1 OE to produce true blue laying hens. This is because the tint overlay genes are always passed on in some form, even if only lightly. This cross will only produce green and brown layers.
When an F1 Olive Egger Hen is bred to a dark layer or blue layer rooster, what is being created is NOT an F2 Olive Egger but a Back Cross 1 Olive Egger (abbreviated BC1). Many breeders do not use the correct terminology but in short, any time an Olive Egger hen is being bred to a Marans rooster, the offspring is a Back Cross Olive Egger, not an F2/F3/F4 Olive Egger.
When Back Crossing an Olive Egger Hen who lays olive/green to a Marans rooster (or any brown layer roo), an estimated 50% of offspring will lay an olive egg and 50% of offspring will lay a shade of brown egg. Any time you are using a brown layer roo bred to hens who already lay olive eggs, you run a 50% chance of getting brown laying offspring.
When Back Crossing an Olive Egger Hen to a Homozygous Blue Layer rooster, 100% of offspring will lay a shade of green. This is because each chick is guaranteed to inherit one blue egg gene from their father and all will inherit the tint overlay from their mother, even if it is only a light tint. (Tint overlay is always passed on in some form, even if it is faint.) With this cross it is possible to produce seafoam, speckled seafoam and sea glass egg colors that may look close to blue but they are not a true blue layer.
Some of the very best breeders in the US, who fully understand all of this, still sell olive egger hatching eggs and chicks labeled as F2-F8 – representing how many years they have been breeding olive eggers – instead of using the correct breeding terminology because it is simply easier than attempting to educate the buying public. Buyers see a pretty egg online and the keeper claims it comes from an F3 Olive Egger and all they want is to find someone – anyone! – selling F3 Olive Egger chicks. The reality may be that the hen who laid the pretty egg is actually a Back Cross 2 (BC2) but buyers don’t really care. They just want stunning eggs and breeders end up catering to whatever common terminology buyers are using.
So how do you get a true F3 Olive Egger? You cross F1 OE x F1 OE to produce True F2 Olive Eggers. Then you breed hatchmate F2 OE x F2 OE together to produce True F3 offspring. It is believed that chickens can be ‘safely’ inbred for about 3 generations before genetic issues begin to appear. After the third generation you will need to bring in an unrelated F3 rooster from a different breeder if you want to continue breeding True F4 Olive Eggers and beyond. Most breeders do not do this; they instead begin using a Marans rooster or Homozygous Blue Layer rooster and start back crossing. But they label the chicks F3/F4/F5/F8 and keep going. Even though this is confusing, it is actually how some of the coolest egg colors are created – by mixing both true olive egger breeding with back crossing!
I hope this helps as you continue to research Olive Egger breeding!
Laura says
Tay you are simply amazing and I found your answer incredibly informational!
Kerri Gauna says
Hello! Your website has been unbelievably informative, especially as I want to do something very similar in my area to what you are doing. It also helps that I am fascinated by genetics anyway. Do you have any suggestions on resources on chicken genetics you can point me towards? Also, what is your advice on using the Whiting True Green in a breeding program? Would they offer more striking green eggs?
Tay Silver says
Hi Kerri!
This page has been helpful to figure out what feather genes my birds are carrying.
Whiting True Greens are a cross between straight combed Whiting True Blue roosters and Rhode Island Red hens, if the rumors about their breeding are correct. WTG offspring all hatch with a straight comb and some do lay brown. Farmhouse of Blessings has been breeding with WTG and has some neat results! If you’re wanting to breed “Production Greens” who lay a lot of eggs, WTG might be a breed to experiment with!
If you want really vibrant, spring green eggs you need to cross a homozygous blue roo with rich blue genes (like a Whiting True Blue) with a hen who lays a faintly tinted light cream egg, perhaps like what a Blue Andalusian might lay, so more of the blue is visible under the tint. Another way to get vibrant green eggs is to cross olive egger hens with olive egger roos; usually F2xF2 will begin to produce some unique green, jade and teal shades if a hen inherits two blue gene copies. I hope this helps!
Patti Santamaria says
Do u have a book I can buy on the different color eggs different chickens lay please