The price of eggs

[Marlingardener]

We have a small flock of laying hens, and get anywhere from two to three dozen eggs a week. I give a dozen or half-dozen to the ladies at the hair salon who sell our honey and won't take a commission.
Last time I was at the grocery, there was a sign that the warehouse was out of eggs, and the remaining stock was limited to one dozen per customer. I realized that the Avian Flu was devastating flocks in the north and Midwest, but had no idea it was this bad. I really feel for the farmers who are losing hundreds of hens.
People have seen our ladies in their outside coop, and stop to ask if they can buy eggs. I tell them we don't sell eggs, but if I have a few extra I'll send them home with four or five eggs.
I am seriously considering increasing our flock (we are due to refresh our flock next spring) and selling eggs. There would be costs involved--extra feed, a larger outside coop, and the cost of the chicks. If we add chickens next spring, the chicks wouldn't begin to lay until September, when the Avian Flu thing will likely be over and egg farmers will be back in production.
Will someone with a lick of sense (which I lack when it comes to chickens) point out any advantages/pitfalls to increasing our flock to say, about 40 hens? With that number, at peak production, we'd get around 100 eggs a week (14 of our girls are elderly, and don't lay daily). My husband is sincerely hoping someone can talk me out of it, but I'm open to all the encouragement I can get!

[BirdLover]

Best to keep it on the small side so that the animals continue to be well cared for. Sometimes the chickens don't produce like you want. Then what do you do with the chickens? Just think about all the possibilities so that you are prepared. Best to expand slowly, in my opinion.
I don't eat eggs at all anymore because of all the abuse videos I've seen. Things can get out of hand if things get too big.

[imafan26]

We are feeling the pinch in Hawaii too. A dozen eggs are $6. It would be better not to add stock from outside sources until the bird flu thing is over. The local farms here also are having a problem replacing their aging hens because the broodstock is usually imported as well. If your girls are healthy, you do not want to risk importing the disease. Incubate your own eggs and if you replace anything it should be the rooster for genetic diversity just make sure it is certified free of the disease by a vet. Since your girls are healthy, try to keep them that way. The problem here is that birds fly. The farms here have issues with wild birds coming in bringing disease, mostly it has been a problem with them carrying salmonella.

[Marlingardener]

Birdlover, I agree that keeping the flock on the small side is a great idea--40 hens in two large inside coops and a large outside coop is manageable for me.
We have geriatric hens--I've solved the problem of "when they don't lay, what do you do?" We continue to feed them, give them morning and night treats, make sure they are healthy and happy. The eggs are a by-product from our entertaining, goofy, and lovely (to the discerning eye) hens.
Believe me, our hens are not crammed into small nest boxes, nor are they fed assembly-line method, and each and every one is treasured. The eggs are better than supermarket eggs, too!
Imafan, we buy chicks from a certified poultry breeder about 30 miles from here. We don't keep roosters, since they are hard on hens, sometimes are aggressive, and have no sense of time--3 a.m.? Let's crow our fool heads off! We had one rooster, Cyrus, that I sent to a neighbor's farm who wanted to diversify his genetic pool. Good luck, mister--Cyrus will diversify all over the place, and peck you every chance he gets!
We have contained coops with chicken wire on the top, so wild birds aren't a problem. I clean the coop daily, make sure the water is fresh and clean, and buy organic food for the ladies. The only thing we have lost hens to is old age, and one time a feral cat. We super-secured the outside coop after the cat incident, and I grieve when one of my 8-9-10 year old hens passes away. I'm still trying to figure out if I keep hens, or if they have found a spa with attentive staff!

[BirdLover]

MG: Your chickens are treated right. I'd like to buy some of your eggs if I was closer. You seem to have lots of things that I like. Eggs from pampered chickens and grasshoppers with boots.
My friends K & T have urban chickens with a coop that is fancier than most people's houses.
T built it for K because she wanted chickens. The coop has a trendy garden style roof and was featured in a local magazine. It even has an address - their house address plus 3/4. (their basement apartment is 1/2). So I can send the chickens a Christmas card if I want to. It is the fanciest coop in the neighborhood. K & T dote on the hens and they lay cute little greenish colored eggs for them. I don't have a problem with eggs from pampered chickens. But I do find those factory farms to be rather disgusting, to say the least.

[MichaelC]

We had one rooster, Cyrus, that I sent to a neighbor's farm who wanted to diversify his genetic pool. Good luck, mister--Cyrus will diversify all over the place, and peck you every chance he gets!

I'm curious about whether Cyrus was named after the character on Trailer Park Boys, they sound like two peas in a pod.

[Marlingardener]

Michael, Cyrus was named after Cyrus McCormick, of farm equipment fame. Mr. McCormick was undoubtedly a nice man--our Cyrus was not nice, to say the least.
I hate to admit my ignorance, but I've never heard of the Trailer Park Boys. I lead a secluded, bucolic life . . . .

[sweetiepie]

I am the last person to discourage someone from having 40 hens. Except to say, that if you plan on keeping hens for 8-10 years and I have found that they start laying less than expected after about 3, (start costing you more on input than output), can you manage that many elderly chickens and still be able to add young chickens down the road to keep up your customer base, without having 60 or more chickens in the next 5 years. (Numbers just an example.) Just thinking a little further down the line. That would be the only negative I could see.

[imafan26]

Thank you for explaining that. I thought farms didn't bother to keep roosters around because the hens will just lay sterile eggs and so it does not matter if they are fertilized. The chicken farm I know buys their chicks from a local hatchery. I don't know how the hatchery gets their fertilized eggs,especially since they are in a mixed residential/light industrial neighborhood.

Feral chickens are all over the place. Mostly they are jungle fowl. The roosters are usually easier to handle and some are happy to be picked up, its the hens that can be vicious. You are right, the roosters will crow at a full moon, they have no sense of time and crow whenever they feel like it.

[Marlingardener]

Sweetiepie, I must admit I hadn't considered the "growth" of the flock. When the price of eggs goes down, I might just stop refreshing the flock until natural mortality takes its course and reduces the number of hens. I get so attached to the ladies that I can't imagine not having hens. The big question is, how many, and is it worth it.
With your input, and BirdLover's and Imafan's--I'm leaning toward refreshing our flock with a dozen or so chicks in the spring and sitting out the egg bonanza currently going on.

[gumbo2176]

I picked up 18 extra large brown eggs from the local market this morning and was hit with sticker shock when at the register. They were $5.59 for the carton. That's the most I've ever had to pay for eggs. Several laying hens are looking good at this point in time. LOL

[imafan26]

$5.59 is less than we pay. The price of eggs has come down some. I think because demand has dropped as people buy more of the equally expensive cereal, pancake mix, and bread for alternate breakfasts. I think at costco the highest price for 5 dozen eggs was around $16.00 and it has come down to around $12. More people are buying the smaller 18 count eggs and less of the 5 dozen but in the end it comes out more expensive that way.

There has been a rash of dead feral chickens that have been found. The DOH said it is not the Avian Flu but more likely someone is poisoning them. It is still a very cruel thing to do.