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1. Plan & Legal Setup

• Research demand: Who will buy your eggs? Locals, grocery stores, bakeries, or wholesalers?

• Licenses & permits: Check local laws for poultry farming, food safety, zoning, and animal welfare.

• Decide scale: Small (hundreds of hens) vs. large commercial (thousands to millions).

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2. Land & Buildings

• Land: Flat, dry, good drainage, away from heavy pollution or predators.

• Housing:

  • Cage-free barn: Large open barns with nesting boxes.

  • Battery cages (common in industrial): stacked rows of cages, more efficient but controversial.

  • Free-range: Outdoor access + barns.

• Ventilation & lighting: Hens need ~16 hours of light/day for peak laying.

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3. Equipment

• Feeders & waterers (automatic is best).

• Nest boxes or egg-laying cages.

• Manure handling system (conveyor belts, pits, or compost setup).

• Egg collection system: Hand-picking (small scale) vs. automatic conveyor belts (large scale).

• Incubators (if you hatch chicks yourself).

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4. Birds

• Layer breeds: White Leghorn (white eggs), Rhode Island Red, ISA Brown (brown eggs).

• Buy pullets (young hens) ready to lay at ~18 weeks, or chicks (takes more time).

• Stocking density: ~2–3 hens per cage in caged systems, or 1–2 sqft per bird in floor systems.

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5. Feeding & Care

• Feed: Balanced layer feed (protein ~16–18%, calcium for strong shells).

• Water: Clean, unlimited supply.

• Health: Vaccinate, monitor for diseases (Marek’s, Newcastle, avian flu).

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6. Egg Handling

• Collection: Gather daily (or multiple times/day).

• Washing & grading: Some markets require eggs to be cleaned and sorted by size.

• Storage: Keep at 10–15°C (50–59°F) with 70–80% humidity before selling.

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7. Selling & Scaling

• Local markets: Farmers’ markets, neighbors, restaurants.

• Wholesale contracts: Grocery chains, distributors.

• Branding: Packaging with labels, “organic,” “free-range,” or “farm fresh” sells better.

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⚠️ Costs & Risks:

• Starting small: ~$5,000–$20,000 for a few hundred hens.

• Industrial factory: hundreds of thousands to millions depending on automation.

• Main risks: disease outbreaks, feed price spikes, regulations tightening.

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