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Barter is Better

March 19th, 2015

My chickens are laying like champs, which is really surprising. My flock consists of: three six year old hens, three four year old hens, eight three year old hens, and four ten month old hens. Most days I’ve been getting between 12-17 eggs. My flock of anconas are just starting to lay as well. I have four ten month old hens and I’m getting 2-3 eggs from them each day.
eggs for barter
As a result of all this laying I’m overrun with eggs. Last week I sold/bartered five dozen, this week I did once again. Somehow I still have 7 dozen eggs in my pantry. We eat four-six for breakfast each day and Tara gets 2-3 daily as well. Pretty soon I’ll have to find a few more egg customers because these chickens just keep laying! The best thing is that most of my eggs are bartered. I trade them for raw milk and cedar lumber. Not a bad deal for either party!

Do you ever barter?

11 Comments to “Barter is Better”
  1. Nebraska Dave on March 19, 2015 at 7:41 am

    Susy, I have acquired the best barter ever. A neighbor down the street needed some one to drive him and his wife around to doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, and miscellaneous errands. He had eye surgery and couldn’t drive and his wife had a stroke some years ago and couldn’t drive either. They wanted a ride to Mc Donald’s to have lunch so I took them. While sitting at the table and talking about general stuff, of course we talked about the weather and how it was effecting the gardening for this year. When we got up to leave the lady at the next table stopped me on the way out and said she had over heard that I did gardening. I said, “Yes, I do.” She asked if she could buy some of the produce from me as the farmer she used to buy from quit growing market vegetables. She told me that of course she would pay for the vegetables. Since I like growing the vegetables but not so much preserving them, the perfect opportunity was present to barter. I told her I’d give her a few jars and when she preserved the harvest, just preserve a few for me and that would be payment enough. So the deal was made, phone numbers were exchanged, and some time in July or August the bartering will begin.

    Things just keep coming my way. The neighbor across the street from Terra Nova Gardens just gave me a Troy Bilt wood chipper. Granted it’s an old one but doesn’t look like it was used much. It needs a little TLC but I think I can get it to a useable state for small brush and sticks that seem to be in abundance at all the gardens. Yesterday, I caught up with the city tree trimmers and requested a load of wood chips to be delivered. So life is good :-)

    Have a great bartering day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

    • Yolanda on March 19, 2015 at 7:47 am

      That is really great about your amazing barter! I guess I just need to think in those terms more and look for opportunities.

      Reply to Yolanda's comment

    • Susy on March 19, 2015 at 9:50 am

      That is a fantastic barter deal!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. Yolanda on March 19, 2015 at 7:44 am

    We are overrun with eggs right now as well. I give some to our daughter and her family and once in a while someone else. I wish I could figure out a way to barter some of them! We don’t have access to raw milk right now, but will be getting a milk goat soon, after not having one for a year and a half. I am happy about that!

    Reply to Yolanda's comment

  3. Beth in Ky on March 19, 2015 at 8:53 am

    Yeah we barter greens, chickens, blackberries, eggs, walnuts, home grown/ground cornmeal, grape juice, jams, sweet potatoes, list goes on and on. I AM surprised at the people who want any kind of canned goods…..then look/examine it like it is a moon rock! Even though we live in a rural area, I really get the idea that most people under 50 have not seen much produce canned. Maybe jellies.
    Have you noticed bartering seems to leave both parties pleased???? Is part of that cause we are cutting Uncle Sam out of the deal?

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  4. Brenda on March 19, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    bartering is great! My chickens are also going gangbusters. In the past I have traded them for raw milk, which is my favorite trade. Right now I am building up the church fridge (they want 40 dozen for Easter), and then the local food pantry/meal/free clothes place (they do a breakfast for lunch meal once a month), sell them from the front porch, give them to people I think would be blessed by them, and of course supply my family (including grandkids). I’m getting 3 dozen a day so this is all doable (and a bit crazy). Eggs are a way I can contribute to people and situations.
    This past winter I had a good run of bartering ground beef for raw milk. They ended up drying up the cow (before she calved) and then purchasing a little steer we were butchering but didn’t have room for in the freezer.
    This post reminded me that I need to look around a bit and see if I can barter for more raw milk. and…. wonder if I could get some maple syrup? We’re not tapping this year. And I have last years lambs ready to go… creative opportunity juices now flowing.

    Reply to Brenda's comment

  5. Toni on March 19, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    I live in a retirement community and I am surprised by how few of my neighbors and friends don’t sew. I sew as a hobby and do simple repairs and alterations for friends (believe me, there are more requests than I can handle). In exchange, I have received brand new clothes (one friend loves to shop), and a huge bag of beautiful fabrics, plant cuttings, seeds and other things. Sometimes I feel like I get the better end of the bargain, but then I remind myself how expensive custom alterations do cost. Too bad I can’t exchange some alterations for milk or eggs! (We can’t have animals here in our community)

    Reply to Toni's comment

  6. Charlie@Seattle Trekker on March 19, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    I love the barter system you have arranged, this is something I would like to copy down the road. I am still toying with the idea of raising chickens.

    Reply to Charlie@Seattle Trekker's comment

  7. Colleen on March 20, 2015 at 10:53 am

    We recently bartered the use of our truck for some alterations. In the past we have traded garden work for vegetables. It’s a win win.

    Reply to Colleen's comment

  8. Marcia on March 21, 2015 at 8:30 am

    My neighbor plows my very long driveway in the winter months and I keep them supplied with fresh eggs all year ’round. I love to barter!

    Reply to Marcia's comment

  9. Lindsey @HalfDimeHomestead on March 25, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    I barter all the time.
    Right now I’m giving childcare to a photographer friend of mine in exchange for professional photos of my soap that I sell. I’m an amateur photographer AT BEST, so I’m definitely getting the better end of the deal.
    I also barter soap for honey, veggies for milk and eggs for a variety of things.
    If I had it my way, the whole economy would be skills and barter based and cash money would fade like the annoyance that it is.
    Ahhh – a girl can dream.
    So glad your hens are laying well!

    Reply to Lindsey @HalfDimeHomestead's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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