I am writing you this morning to let you know, that I will have to go up on my egg prices. After running last years taxes, I found that I took a BIG loss. So, I ran the number on this years business. I've already spent almost $300 in chicken feed. Here is the negative. I've only made $203 in sales.
I enjoy my chickens enough that doing the daily morning and evening feeding, mucking out the chicken coop, clipping wings, breaking ice in the water bucket (thank goodness this doesn't happen too often), and daily collection of eggs doesn't bother me. However, I need to at least break even on the cost of the feed. I sure hope this doesn't run all of you off. Effective immediately, I'm going to need to sell the eggs for $4 / dozen.
FDA regulations say that in order to "claim" your chickens are pasture raised (ie. the ones in the grocery stores), the hen only needs to have a 12" space of pasture. Some large companies are placing the chickens in cages with 12" runs outside of the cage. At our place, you can see the chickens all over the pasture. They only go inside at night. The rest of the time they are free ranging.
Why do I bring this up? Check out the following link: http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs
Here is what "Mother Earth News" research found:
Please help us spread the word — eggs from hens raised on pasture are far more nutritious than eggs from confined hens in factory farms.
LATEST RESULTS: New test results show that pastured egg producers are kicking the commercial industry's derriere when it comes to vitamin D! Eggs from hens raised on pasture show 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs. Learn more: Eggciting News!!!
RESULTS FROM OUR PREVIOUS STUDY: Eggs from hens allowed to peck on pasture are a heck of a lot better than those from chickens raised in cages! Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:
• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
These amazing results come from 14 flocks around the country that range freely on pasture or are housed in moveable pens that are rotated frequently to maximize access to fresh pasture and protect the birds from predators. We had six eggs from each of the 14 pastured flocks tested by an accredited laboratory in Portland, Ore. The chart in Meet the Real Free-range Eggs (October/November 2007) shows the average nutrient content of the samples, compared with the official egg nutrient data from the USDA for “conventional” (i.e. from confined hens) eggs. The chart lists the individual results from each flock.
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As always, thank you, thank you, thank you for being a customer of ours. You support our "habit" of raising chickens. We love our chickens so very much and wouldn't be able to afford them if it weren't for friends like you buying their eggs. So, THANK YOU!!!
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