Egg production basics
Eggs are the fourth-largest animal production industry in South Africa after poultry meat, beef and milk. With the country’s per capita consumption at about 140 eggs per annum, it can be profitable to own a layer operation, provided you can supply fresh, safe, top-quality eggs.
Dr Naude Rossouw, director of Rossgro Eggs, points out that there are certain critical elements that need particular attention in egg production. He is well-qualified to know: Rossgro is a family-owned business that has two egg packing stations, one on the Highveld and the other in White River, Mpumalanga, as well as its own rearing farms. Here, day-old chicks are raised to point of lay, and are then transferred to Rossgro’s laying farms. The business produces approximately one million eggs a day, and these are distributed across Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
PROPER HOUSING AND FEEDING
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ egg production manual stresses that effective and efficient management techniques are necessary to increase the productivity
