Anyone who buys eggs in Benin City knows prices are not flat through the year. Some of that is the market and some of it is the birds themselves. Here is what happens on the farm and why the board moves.
Heat is the biggest stress
A hen is comfortable below about 28 degrees. On a hot March afternoon our houses can climb past that, and a stressed hen eats less and lays less. We run roof sprinklers and wide side curtains, and we feed early in the morning and late in the evening when it is cool.
Harmattan dust
The dry season brings dust and cold mornings. Birds need more water and we watch closely for coughs. Laying usually dips for a fortnight when the harmattan first arrives, then recovers.
Feed is most of the cost
About seven tenths of the cost of an egg is feed, mostly maize and soya. When maize prices rise before harvest, egg prices follow a few weeks later. When harvest comes in, they ease. You can see this on the eight-week trend line on our board.
How we keep supply steady
- Flocks are started in batches, so some hens are always at peak lay
- We buy maize forward after harvest and store it dry
- Standing order customers are served first in short weeks
- We tell you on Monday, on the board, if a grade will be short
If you run a bakery, hotel or school, a standing order is the simplest way to avoid short weeks. You pay each week's board price, and your crates are set aside before the gate opens.
