If you keep chickens, they may well be laying an egg a day for you. If you keep 6 birds, you could quite possibly be getting 4 or 5 eggs per day, every day. If you can’t eat that many eggs, you may well be asking yourself, can I sell chicken eggs? Would anyone buy them? And, are there any rules I need to follow? I’ve tried my best to interpret the law and rules in this article, however, I am not a legal person, and you are advised to seek legal help and advice should you need it.
Yes, you can sell any excess chicken eggs that you may have. However, there are a few rules that you need to follow about where they can be sold, and who they can be sold to. Follow these rules, and you’ll have a good little side hussle, as free-range, local, eggs are in high demand.
Selling Chicken Eggs Law
Lets start off looking at the law, and what that says. If you want more guidance, help and advice, it can be seen on the government website here. This applies to England and Wales, and rules for other parts of the UK can be found online.
The main parts of the law can be split into 2 area – How many hens do you have? And, where will you sell the eggs?
When we start looking at the hens (notice how we say hens, as this applies to the ladies only) the magic number is 50. I know this may seem like alot to many people, but it’s quite easy to get up to that number, if you have a small area of land.
I have more than 50 hens AND sell ungraded eggs at markets
If you go off to the local farmers markets, car boot sales, or the weekly village market, you must register with the APHA as an egg production site.
Once you are registered, you will be given a unique producer code. This must then be stamped onto every egg that you sell.
At the markets, you must display your name and address, the best before date, and advise keeping the eggs refrigerated once purchased.
I have less than 50 hens AND sell ungraded eggs at markets
You don’t need to register. But it may be beneficial if you do. You must still display your name, address, BBE and refrigeration advice.
I sell to shops, catering outlets and restaurants OR I want to sell graded eggs
If you are producing the eggs, then you must register as a producer (above). If you also want to grade (small, medium, large) or sell to catering, shops etc, then you must also register as an egg packing centre. You’ll also need to apply to your local council’s environmental health as a food business operator.
Farm Gate Egg Sales
If you only have a small flock, and want to create an honesty box, or something similar to sell your eggs, then again there are certain rules that apply, but it’s alot simpler.
If you sell direct to consumers (for their own use), offer a delivery service, or from your own honesty box, then you don’t need to stamp your eggs with a producer code.
With less than 50 hens, you don’t need to register.
Example 1:
You have less than 50 hens. A local pub landlord asks you to supply him with eggs for his own consumption. Do you need to be registered and stamp the eggs?
No, as it’s for his own use.
Example 2:
You have less than 50 hens. A local pub landlord asks you to supply him with eggs for use in the pub’s restaurant. Do you need to be registered and stamp the eggs?
Yes. The eggs are going into the commercial food chain, and must be traceable in case of any problems.
Egg Salmonella Testing
If all the eggs you sell are for private consumption, and you have less than 350 hens, you don’t need to worry about salmonella testing.
However, if any of your eggs are going for commercial purposes (like the example above where the pub landlord wants to use them in a restaurant), or you have more than 350 hens, then you must be tested. They must be tested every 15 weeks whilst they are laying.
More details can be found online.
Can you sell fertilised chicken eggs for eating?
Absolutely! Quite often you will find supermarket eggs that have been fertilised, and reports in the paper of people hatching these (we’ve done it ourselves).
The only thing we would say here, is if you have a cockerel in with the girls, just be sure to collect the eggs every day. If the hen has gone broody, and the eggs have been under the bird for any length of time, it is best to reject these from sale.
How Much Can You Sell Chicken Eggs For?
This all depends on where you are, and what you’re selling. As an example, in my area (South UK) I can sell 6 fresh eggs for £1.50 and don’t get any complaints. I probably could push this to £2, and given the amount feed has increased by, I’m very tempted to.
Remember, you are selling a premium product, and people will pay extra for fresh, free-range eggs.