The price of eggs has doubled...

[phatchristy]

Anyone else noticing this...the price of eggs has more than doubled recently.

Before, you could get 18 eggs for about $1.30 at our wholesale club...the other day, I checked out the prices now and it was $2.80!!!

I bake from scratch and use a lot of eggs.

Walmart was very similar for smaller amounts of eggs (just 1 dozen).

I asked a couple people about it, one heard that they've started shipping them overseas as it has become popular and since the dollar has dropped they're getting more money that way...:

What have you heard?

No change in the price of milk/other dairy that I can see by us...

Any thoughts (no chicken coops allowed where I live)...

[Herausgeber]

I suspect it's related to the increase in the price of oil, which affects transportation and feed costs.

We pay about $2.50 for a dozen eggs here, but they are locally produced.

[zersha]

Originally Posted by Herausgeber

I suspect it's related to the increase in the price of oil, which affects transportation and feed costs.

We pay about $2.50 for a dozen eggs here, but they are locally produced.

Same here, I get local free range eggs for $2.49/doz. There was another local farmer who sells his for $1.50/doz, but he was having trouble keeping up with demand so I can't get any from him anymore.

Maybe you should look for a local source. Not only might they be cheaper, they will probably be better for you since they don't come from battery cage chickens.

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by Herausgeber

I suspect it's related to the increase in the price of oil, which affects transportation and feed costs.

We pay about $2.50 for a dozen eggs here, but they are locally produced.

If that were the case likely all of our dairy would have increased substantially which hasn't happened...unless that just hasn't happened yet. Or, perhaps eggs were slow to catch up. I seem to remember dairy costs climbing about a year and a half ago. I found this article, I wonder how old this story is?

http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/5600321.html

[Herausgeber]

I think dairy was just ahead of the curve. It really zoomed up last year. Right now, i'm waiting for the moment when the trucked-in, industrial stuff reaches the price of the local, organic stuff. It's getting close, and a touch surreal.

[dharmamama]

Originally Posted by zersha

Maybe you should look for a local source. Not only might they be cheaper, they will probably be better for you since they don't come from battery cage chickens.

We get organic free-range eggs from a local farmer. The price went up from $1.75 a dozen to $2.50 a dozen recently. I asked him why and he said the hens lay fewer eggs in the winter and that the price will go down again in the spring.

dm

[Ruthiegirl]

I was paying 1.59 for a dozen, local organic eggs this summer. During the winter months, the price jumps to 2.00 a dozen. Chickens lay less in the winter and require more feed since they forage less for themselves in the colder seasons.

2 bucks a dozen still seems reasonable to me. We eat about 2 dozen a week, so the price difference isn't outrageous.

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by dharmamama

We get organic free-range eggs from a local farmer. The price went up from $1.75 a dozen to $2.50 a dozen recently. I asked him why and he said the hens lay fewer eggs in the winter and that the price will go down again in the spring.

dm

I wish we had local farmers...I'll take a look...the sad thing is, when cost is a concern to actually drive to a farm isn't very economical. The ones I know of would likely cost me $12 round trip in gas.

[celestialdreamer]

We pay $3.50 dozen for local organic eggs from pastured hens. The price was $3.00 but they recently raised it because of the increase in feed costs. I'm really struggling to be able to buy enough food with our budgeted food allowance with all the recent increases in costs. It has been really noticeable in my area which already is a higher cost of living area anyway. I can't wait until we move and I can have a garden and my own chickens!

[zersha]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

I wish we had local farmers...I'll take a look...the sad thing is, when cost is a concern to actually drive to a farm isn't very economical. The ones I know of would likely cost me $12 round trip in gas.

Maybe if you're lucky, you can find someone who delivers. The first farmer we got eggs from would make regular trips into town usually 1-2 times a week and would just drop them off at our house. He just had a 3 doz. min. to do this.

Or if they don't do deliveries, you could arrange a place to meet them when they happen to be in town so they don't have to go out of their way.

[normajean]

We pay $3.70/dozen for organic brown eggs from pastured hens. They are delivered to our house with our milk, bread, soymilk & vegetables, so I pay $2.50/week total delivery charge on all that stuff combined.

Regular non organic white eggs from the grocer are about $2.00/dozen

[Tradd]

You can always use Amy D's egg replacement in some baking -

1 heaping tablespoon soy flour + 1 tablespoon water to replace 1 egg.

It's best in something that would already be very moist. I do this in my banana muffins and they turn out great!

[pbjmama]

I'm paying $5.29 for 3 dozen up from $2.89 last spring. Sometimes a price book is a wonderful thing...other times, not so much!

[heatherdeg]

We have our own chickens (on a 1/2-acre lot in urban suburbs). It's not cheaper, but it's well worth it!

If you live in a city or suburb, there may be people like me that actually have chickens. Go to the health office and ask--they may actually tell you (I don't think it's confidential or anything!).

Put up a sign in your supermarket or library advertising that you want local eggs. Someone's likely to call. Urban homesteaders aren't as uncommon as people think. BUT... I'm pretty well-known in my town and not everyone realizes I have laying hens! (you don't need a rooster for eggs)

There's a lady nearby that has honeybee hives and I only found out about her through word-of-mouth.

Your local Holistic Moms Network group may know locals, too.

Good luck!

[redhotmama]

Eggs and milk have gone up here, in MI.

[mum4boys]

I read an article this week and eggs will be going down in cost this year after rising 11%.

[annethcz]

Another reason for the increase in cost, besides the increased cost of oil and the season, is the increase in the cost of corn. Large commercial egg farms feed commercial chicken feed, which is largely made of corn. There is increased demand for corn from ethanol plants, which is driving up the price of animal feed.

I raise chickens, which are pastured in the temperate months. Right now with a foot of snow on the ground, I rely more on commercial chicken feed. The price of feed has gone up since fall.

[onandon]

Organic Whole Foods branded eggs are $3.99 a dozen here. The local eggs at the weekly farmers market are $4.50 a dozen. Prices sure do vary!

[Sharlla]

I have not noticed an increase in egg prices.

[kijip]

Conventional eggs sold by the 5 dozen at Costco and Cash and Carry (the ones I used to buy have not seen a big increase) nor have the local, organic ones direct from a farm (always been very high- $4 a dozen). However, I was buying bacon this week and noticed a big jump in the price of both bacon and the conventional eggs in 12-18 quantities.