News from the homestead: The economics of eggs

Needless to say with current egg prices, I’m often told how fortunate we are to have a ready supply of eggs from our flock. Indeed, we are blessed to not have to fight the crowds at the local grocery store to get the limited and pricey cartons they may still have on their shelves at the time. However, a close look at the economics of egg production from a backyard flock can provide a nice dose of reality. Many people ask me how much we charge for a dozen eggs to which I usually respond with “not enough!”

Tending to my natural curiosity, I researched historical egg prices. In the 1950s eggs cost 20 to 50 cents per dozen, in the 70s those prices rose to 60-80 cents a dozen due to inflation. During the 80s and 90s, they topped $1. In the 2000s prices hovered around $1 and spiked to $2 during the financial crisis of 2008. By 2022 prices leaped to $5 with pundits attributing that to COVID, supply chain disruptions. Of course, record inflation clearly impacted the cost of everything. Today the popular rationale for $11 a dozen in some places is the avian flu outbreak.

When we first moved to Wittbrich Acres last October, Mike and I estimated the real cost of a dozen eggs from the output generated by our then flock of 34 hens. Of course, many of our hens were well beyond their egg-producing years. As far as we can tell, nearly half our hens fall into the “pet” category at present. We included leading factors (feed, treats, bedding, labor) in our estimate. All-in, we estimated that we’d have to charge at least $16/dozen to break even for the costs of feeding, housing, and tending to our flock even when there aren’t temporary disruptions in the supply chain. That reinforced what we already knew–our much-loved flock of feathered layers would never be the path to profitability. Unless, of course, you put a value (as I do!) on the intangibles associated with raising chickens. Watching them, learning from them, tending to them, being entertained by them, giving them love and attention and receiving it back. My daily dose of gratitude from them more than compensates me for the labor and makes their output invaluable in my eyes.

As for updates from our coop, we sadly lost two hens since my January report, both from apparent old age and both well beyond their productive laying years. Since October, we’ve lost six hens and our flock now stands at 28 hens and two roosters. As we become more and more comfortable in our roles as chicken guardians, we’ve discussed adding to the flock this year. After much discussion and consideration of the commitment, we’re opting to give it a go and grow our flock! At this point, we are anticipating the arrival of 10-12 new chicks in April. We’re excited! Meanwhile, we are grateful to be able to enjoy farm fresh eggs at a price that is worth every penny to us and our family!

Also in early Spring, we’ll be getting our two new bee colonies. Sadly, my February inspection of our second hive showed the relentless Wisconsin weather was too much for my second hive of honey-makers and their queen. I had the sad task of clearing the hive and the more optimistic one of preparing my two setups for a spring revival with new bees and queens for each. Beekeeper classes through the Racine Kenosha Beekeeper Association resumed in February and I will be attending monthly classes to help me navigate the upcoming season and improve my beekeeping skills. There’s a lot to learn and I’m eager to continue exploring the fascinating aspects of keeping bees.

I’ve begun planning the garden spaces and can’t wait to dig in to earth again and set to the task of nurturing our home-grown produce. At this time I have a variety of herbs, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and peppers planned with more to be added to the list. We are also anticipating a healthy resurgence of our rhubarb, blackberries, raspberries, grapes and asparagus. And my flower gardens and recently pruned fruit trees will be stunning and filled with pollenating goodness for my bees to lap up!

So while we suffered some losses in January and February, we know it’s part of the deal. The cycle of life continues and the losses, while sad, are also an opportunity to replace our livestock and respect nature’s powerful devices. In that process we are given the blessing of being able to become stronger stewards of mother nature’s gifts and be grateful for her bounty.

Thanks for the comments, ideas, and suggestions that follow my posts. I appreciate all of them. Feel free to reach out to me at tami@toyourwealth.com

Visit my related News from the Homestead posts for past-updates from Wittbrich Acres:

January, 2025: The Many Gifts of Christmas 2024

December 2024: Home for the Hallmark Holiday

November 2024: A Month of Learning from the Homestead