With the onset of winter and torrential rains lashing Tamil Nadu and Kerala, egg prices are set to rise gradually. Cut in production, too, has sent the egg price moving up across the country. Egg touched Rs 2.90 a piece during the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Palladam-based Broiler Co-ordination Committee has slashed the rate for cull birds to Rs 63 a kg from Rs 67. National Egg Coordination Committee's (NECC) layer rate (for birds of 1.3 kg), too, is down at Rs 41 a kg (Rs 44). Namakkal and Palladam prices are the benchmarks for eggs and chicken in the country. "Broiler prices are likely to be pruned in the coming days because of the approaching Sabarimala season in the South — a major consumer of these products," an NECC source said.

"We want to increase the prices gradually. If we raise the prices, we may face consumer resistance and piling up of stocks," said an NECC spokesperson.

Industry sources told The Hindu Business Line that chick placement in the farms is on the rise. Poultry farmers have started placing layer chicks during the austere months so that they can build up stocks. (A chick takes 24 weeks to hatch eggs.)