All-in all-out

Populating and depopulating a house as a single batch, so that it can be cleaned, disinfected and rested between flocks. The basic unit of disease control in this plan.

Blended price per egg

Revenue from egg sales divided by eggs sold, reflecting the weighted mix of farm gate, local trade, wholesale and retail channels.

Blended Finance Scheme

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development scheme administered through the Land Bank, combining a grant portion with a concessional loan.

Break-even flock

The number of hens in lay at which gross margin covers the fixed cost base, including owner remuneration. 7 411 hens at the mature Year 5 cost base.

Gross margin per hen

Gross margin divided by average hens in lay. R372.70 at Year 5; divided into fixed cost it gives the break-even flock.

Hen-day production

Eggs laid divided by hen-days in the period, expressed as a percentage. The primary measure of flock productivity.

HPAI

Highly pathogenic avian influenza. Notifiable, uninsured at this scale and uncompensated in South Africa. Vaccination was permitted from June 2026.

Multi-age, multi-house

Splitting the flock across separate houses of differing ages so that an outbreak in one need not take the whole business.

Point-of-lay pullet

A young hen at roughly sixteen to eighteen weeks, ready to begin laying. Costs R135 to R162 and takes eighteen weeks to rear.

Saleable percentage

Grade A eggs as a proportion of eggs laid. Cracks, dirties and seconds are the difference.

Section 20 limitation

The South African rule capping the set-off of assessed losses at the higher of R1 million or 80 per cent of taxable income.

Spent hen

A hen at the end of her laying cycle, roughly seventy-two weeks from point of lay, sold for meat. A modest offset to the pullet cost.

Stage gate

A set of documented conditions that must all be satisfied before the next stage’s capital is drawn.

Tray

Thirty eggs. 6.18 million eggs at Year 5 is about 206 127 trays.