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If you ask a Gujranwala or Sahiwal-based poultry farmer what keeps his poultry business going, the reply is never anything other than feed. The background of egg production is not Hen feed. The one key thing that determines the number of eggs that will be laid, the quality, and the price that the buyer will pay at the counter is it. For households in Pakistan witnessing a drastic increase in egg prices, one of the more pragmatic pieces of context is understanding what a hen eats. This article covers how hen feed works, how much it costs, and its importance beyond the farm gate.

The Basic Structure of a Laying Hen's Diet

If a hen lays her eggs regularly, she must eat a diet more carefully balanced than most people would guess. This isn't just grain in a trough. Commercial egg production is based on formulated feed that takes into account protein concentration, energy value, calcium for shell strength, and trace minerals for yolk colour and general health.

The general feed formula in the poultry belt of Pakistan in Punjab is divided into three components: maize (corn) accounts for 55–65% of the total feed formula. It is the main source of energy. The protein is typically about 20 to 25 % of soybean meal. Rice bran, wheat bran or broken wheat adds extra energy. The rest is composed of micronutrient premix (vitamins A, D3, E, B-complex and minerals such as zinc, manganese, selenium).

One important element deserves an extra mention, however: calcium. Shell formation requires a lot of calcium, and laying hens can rapidly draw upon their stores if they are unable to eat a consistent amount of calcium. For this purpose, limestone powder or oyster shell grit is added to most layer feed formulas. If a hen lays one egg a day, she effectively recycles a lot of calcium each day, so her diet needs to be maintained.

How Feed Quality Shows Up in the Egg

Now the buyer gets into the real details. The relationship between the food consumed by a hen and the food that is produced in the egg is closer than most people imagine.

Almost 100% of the yolk colour is determined by diet. The deep orange colour of the egg yolk, which consumers attribute to desi or organic birds, is due to carotenoid pigments in the feed, namely yellow maize, marigold extract, or a feed formula containing these pigments. No matter whether a hen is raised in a cage or free-range, a low-pigment diet results in a pale yolk.

The shell thicknesses are similar. Hens fed calcium-deficient hen feed have thinner shells, which are more likely to break during transportation and storage. It is NOT just a quality problem for the consumer! It is a direct loss for the farmer as broken eggs are not marketable at full value.

Size of eggs is directly related to the amount of protein eaten. The average size of eggs laid will be smaller for a hen fed a low-protein formula. It is for this reason that feed formulation is of great importance at all stages of a flock's production cycle, and not only during their peak laying period.

Layer Feed Price in Pakistan and What It Has Done to Farmers

I think this is the reason that will shed a lot of light on the reason why price of eggs in Pakistan has been moving in the way they have in the past three years.

The layer feed price in Pakistan has increased considerably since 2022. In reality, the cost of a high-quality commercial layer mash that the farmer of Punjab could buy for a 50 kg bag is Rs. 1,900 to Rs. 2,300 in early 2022 was costing Rs. 3,200 to Rs. 3,600 or more by 2024. Several high-quality, additive-free egg-producing products entered the market. In urban markets, bags cost 4,000.

This was fuelled by three factors. However, domestic maize production was below in back-to-back years, reducing maize supplies as the key ingredient in the feed. Second, the dollar-rupee rate of exchange increased the prices of imported soybean meal and vitamin premixes, both of which are being priced in dollars. Third, the cost of fuel and logistics was added to the cost of procurement feed from mill to farm, especially for small farmers in KP and Balochistan, who are far from the main feed milling clusters in Punjab.

Feed is not something that can be quietly swallowed by the medium-sized layer farm, with a flock of 5,000 birds. The cost of the feed bill can range from Rs. 250,000 to Rs. Between 3.5 million and 350,000 per month as per the formula. Many small producers have been forced to "thin the herd" or "ration their feed" (that is, reduce quality) or simply get out of the market because of a 40% increase in layer feed costs over two years. All three with egg cut reduce egg supply, which will go back to the retail price.

What This Means for Organic Egg Producers Specifically

Organic egg production faces the same input stresses as conventional egg production but has fewer management tools. A conventional farm may use alternative less costly feed ingredients, temporarily higher stocking density, or different brands of premix. Those are steps that an organic producer, who wants to maintain the integrity of the product, cannot take.

In organic hen feed, synthetic amino acid supplements, regular use of antibiotics as growth promoters and artificial pigment additives are usually not added. That means using non-GMO SBM and adopting natural pigments, which are expensive and not readily available in Pakistan's current market.

As a result, organic egg production is structurally more expensive and less flexible. An increase in the layer feed price in Pakistan has a greater impact on organic farmers, as they have less buffer to pass on the higher feed costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Layer and Hen Feed?

While they are frequently used interchangeably, technically, layer feed is the formulated feed for egg-laying hens at peak egg production age, typically 18 weeks of age or older. The term "hen feed" can refer to starter feed for chicks and grower feed for pullets. The terms are used interchangeably in the parlance of Pakistani poultry markets and both refer to a commercial layer mash product.

Does the type of the hen feed have any effect on the egg price in Pakistan?

Directly, yes. It is observed that in Pakistan, the change in the layer feed price in Pakistan is reflected in the retail price within a period of a few weeks, as the feed cost is responsible for one of the main cost factors in the production of a dozen eggs, which is about 65 to 70 per cent of the total cost. If farmers' feed costs rise significantly, they can't sustain it for long, and farm feed price increases are reflected at the retail level as higher egg prices.

Why is it that organic egg feed is more expensive than commercial layer feed?

To produce truly organic eggs, hens must be fed organic feed without synthetic additives or growth promoters, and in many instances without GMO-derived feed. Conventional sources of soybeans, soybean meal, and natural pigments are less expensive than non-GMO sources. Lower bargaining power with feed suppliers also affects smaller organic farms, increasing per-bag costs.

How to deal with increasing cost of layer feed for a small farmer?

There are some methods which work in practice. One of the more effective ways is to purchase feed in bulk from other farmers in the area who can buy it at wholesale prices. Some farmers add readily available ingredients, such as broken rice, sunflower cake, or kitchen waste, to commercial layer rations under the guidance of a poultry nutritionist, thereby minimising reliance on commercial feed. Alternatively, culling animals to fit the cash flow, rather than running at a loss, can be a practical, if painful, solution.

When will the prices of layer feeds decline in Pakistan?

It's hard to determine for sure. Domestic maize production could bring some respite to the layer feed price in Pakistan, provided the currency stabilises. However, the increased costs arising in the feed mill, logistics, and labour are not so easily reversed. Most poultry trade observers believe that hen feed prices will remain high through 2025 but may decrease slightly as grain imports return to normal levels.

The Practical Takeaway for Buyers and Farmers

The Pakistani egg market revolves around hen feed. It is by far the most important factor determining egg quality, egg output and retail egg prices. The cost of feed is the best and most truthful explanation for why the price of eggs in Pakistan keeps rising for household buyers.

Feed cost management is the discipline that differentiates a sustainable farm from one that stands alongside, shrinking quietly every season, particularly for those growing the organic egg.  The layer feed price in Pakistan will remain in sync with the international grain markets and the rupee. The farms that know exactly what their feed formulas are and can obtain feed strategically are the ones that will remain viable when the next price increase occurs.