Perhaps the only thing better than collecting, cooking, and savoring your own free-range chicken eggs is sharing a dozen or two with family and friends, and the occasional cash-paying customer. Filipinos love to eat eggs, and who doesn’t?
More of these consumers exist today, and small farmers are reaping the rewards, thanks to the growing awareness of the health benefits of free-range chicken eggs. Either way, raising chickens that produce fresh eggs can be a fun and profitable adventure. There are only a few things to keep in mind when starting your own egg-selling business that will ensure your success.
Take a look at your local market
You must first ensure that there is a market for free-range chicken eggs in your area. And you will have to find out the average price for a dozen eggs or a tray (30 pcs) of eggs. When looking at other local egg offerings, consider: are they free-range chicken eggs? Or are they eggs bought from wholesalers?
You will want to determine where you will sell your free-range chicken eggs. Many cities and towns have exceptions for farmers who sell eggs on a small scale. But if you want to go beyond that, you may need to establish an egg washing facility that is inspected by your local health inspectors.
Is egg business profitable in the Philippines?
Yes, poultry farming (both for meat and eggs) is a profitable Philippines business venture right now. It is certainly possible to earn a livable wage, plus generate significant cash flow even as a small backyard enterprise.
Prepare a business plan
The second step after knowing your market is to formalize your marketing plan by writing a business plan. This action plan should be carried out considering the benefits of eating free-range chicken eggs (type of diet, responsible breeding, benefits of free-range eggs, etc.) this type of analysis could grow your business in the future and help you establish the price of their eggs.
When deciding how much to charge for your free-range chicken eggs, consider all your expenses, including production, marketing, packing, and delivery costs for the entire year. Feeding will likely be your biggest expense, but you will also budget for one-time or maintenance costs, such as house renovations or fences. Add all of those expenses together.
Then figure out how many eggs each hen will produce – a good average is 180 eggs per year depending on the breed you raise. Multiply 180 by the number of chickens you have to get your total number of eggs. Then divide that number by 12 to get your estimated total number of dozen for the year. Finally, take your total expenses and divide them by your estimated number of dozen to get the minimum price you must charge to break even.
If that number is too high, you may want to cut some costs.
How many chickens do I need to start with?
If you have already completed your business plan, it is time to establish the number of chickens you need to acquire to meet your goals. Take into account that during its peak, which is approximately 2 years, a laying hen will produce an average of three to five eggs weekly. If you plan to sell 5-10 dozen eggs a week, you can do the math to determine the number of chickens you need, in our opinion a good number to start with is 25-30 chickens.
After working hard and having a fixed price to start the sale of free-range chicken eggs, it is time to choose the breed of hen with which we will start our business.
Choice of chickens
When you choose your chicks, make sure to choose a breed that is very productive, that is, it is a good laying hen and most importantly it adapts to the climate of your city. The breed you choose should be tough enough to survive hot or cold climates depending on where you reside. If you live in a very cold and dark climate, you should consider installing artificial light, so that your hens will produce eggs throughout the year.
Raising laying hens in the field will undoubtedly help improve egg production and quality. It is 20211 and in the digital age, the most demanding customers already understand the difference between a free-range chicken egg and the eggs produced by commercial producers.
Free-range chicken egg yolks are deep orange in color and packed with flavor is what many now expect from the eggs they eat, and what you should easily get from chickens with access to insects, grasses, and the ability to Roam freely to find your tastiest foods and treats. In addition to the foods provided by nature, you will also want to additionally provide high-quality balanced foods and possibly some additional calcium supplements to obtain strong shells.
Collection and sale of eggs
It is advisable to collect the eggs early every day and often, this helps keep the eggs fresh, and clean and prevents them from being stained or eaten by some of your mischievous chickens. Once collected, it is time to pack and sell your eggs. Consider applying an action plan for the correct packaging of your eggs. The correct label with a well-worked graphic logo can be very beneficial for the sale of eggs. Be sure to comply with all state and local law requirements when packing and selling eggs.
Some additional tips to get started with selling eggs.
- Post a “fresh free-range eggs” sign in front of your house/farm.
- Build an established customer list and deliver eggs to them regularly
- Sale through supermarkets or local markets
Facts and benefits of the egg sales business
- Easy to start and operate
- It can be a low-cost business idea.
- The egg sales business does not require advanced tools or special skills.
- Eggs are a great source of protein.
- Eggs have a great variety.
- You can create a weekly recurring income stream
- The color of the shell depends on the breed of the hen that laid it.
- The color of the yolk depends on the diet of the hen.
- The age of a hen affects the size of an egg.
- For the best hard-boiled eggs, use eggs that are at least 10 days old.
Continuous assessment
As with any type of entrepreneurship, a continuous evaluation is one of the keys to the success of any type of business. If things do not work out as expected, do not despair, it may be the opportunity to evaluate where we are failing: the market does not demand many eggs, unfair competition, your hens do not produce enough, and even evaluate if the egg business is the right choice for you.
Conclusion
The free-range chicken egg business can be a lucrative and profitable venture, partly due to its high market demand and largely due to its own ability to build a broad supply chain network. If you are looking for an agribusiness to venture into, the egg sales business is an option to explore.
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