Province rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Manitoba?

Yes. With 300 laying hens or fewer you need no Manitoba Egg Farmers registration, and you may sell ungraded eggs directly to consumers on your farm or at public markets, kept at 4°C.

Read from 8 official sources23 passages quotedChecked October 7, 2026

At a glance

Licence

Depends how you sell

Small-flock line

300 laying hens or fewer

Farmers markets

With conditions

Cartons

Reuse with conditions

In plain English

Manitoba's supply-management line is 300 laying hens: a person who keeps 300 or fewer at all times during the year is exempt from registering as an egg producer with Manitoba Egg Farmers and needs no quota (larger non-quota flocks pay a $4-per-hen penalty levy on hens over 300). Since May 15, 2025 the Poultry Products Regulation lets an egg producer sell ungraded eggs directly to consumers at a public market (a place where more than two people sell agricultural products they produced) or on the premises where the eggs were produced, with delivery later allowed. The eggs must come from the producer's own premises and be clean, uncracked and not leaking; they go in clean cartons marked 'ungraded eggs' (or 'œufs non classés') in easily readable letters with the producer's name, contact information and packing date; and they must be kept at 4°C or lower until sold, including in transport and on display. No food handling permit is needed for these sales. Before May 15, 2025, ungraded eggs could not be sold at a public market or retail store. Stores, restaurants, caterers, food banks and other food businesses must use graded eggs.

A sourced reading of Manitoba's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Manitoba Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Branch before you sell.

Do you need a licence?

Depends on how and how much you sell300 laying hens or fewer
  • Keep 300 or fewer laying hens at all times during the year: exempt from registration as an egg producer with Manitoba Egg Farmers.M.R. 290/2014, s. 5(e)
  • Sell directly to consumers, only at a public market or on the premises where the eggs were produced.M.R. 211/87 R, s. 7.1(1)
  • A public market is a place where more than two persons sell agricultural products they produced or raised.M.R. 211/87 R, s. 1
  • Sell only eggs produced on your own premises that are clean, have no visible cracks and are not leaking.M.R. 211/87 R, s. 7.1(2)(a)
  • Pack in clean cartons marked "ungraded eggs" or "œufs non classés" in easily readable letters and labelled with your name, contact information and the packing date.M.R. 211/87 R, s. 7.1(2)(b)
  • Keep eggs at 4°C or lower until sold, including during transportation, display and storage.M.R. 211/87 R, s. 7.1(2)(c)
  • Eggs sold this way may be delivered to the consumer later.M.R. 211/87 R, s. 7.1(3)
  • No food handling permit is required for ungraded egg sales made under s. 7.1.M.R. 339/88 R, s. 3(4.1)
  • Reused cartons: remove the business name or brand, grading station information, size, lot code and grade.Manitoba Agriculture factsheet, August 2026
  • Register your farm for a Premises ID under the Animal Premises Identification Regulation.Manitoba Agriculture factsheet, August 2026
The exact wording
“The following persons are exempt from section 1: … (e) a person who, in any year, raises or keeps 300 or fewer laying hens at all times during the year.”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

With conditions

Ungraded eggs may be sold directly to consumers on the premises where they were produced, with later delivery allowed, if they meet s. 7.1(2): own-premises eggs, clean and uncracked, in clean cartons marked 'ungraded eggs' with your name, contact information and packing date, kept at 4°C or lower. No food handling permit is needed (M.R. 339/88 R, s. 3(4.1)).

Farmers markets

With conditions

Allowed since May 15, 2025 at a public market (more than two people selling their own agricultural products), under the same s. 7.1(2) rules, with eggs kept at 4°C or lower on display (M.R. 211/87 R, s. 7.1). Manitoba Agriculture suggests a mini fridge or plug-in cooler at the booth. No food handling permit is needed for these sales.

Stores and restaurants

Licence needed

Any other sale needs graded eggs (M.R. 211/87 R, s. 7). Manitoba Agriculture lists retail stores, restaurants and caterers, hospitals and personal care homes, food banks, community organizations and businesses making foods from eggs as places you cannot sell or donate ungraded eggs.

Also check with: Manitoba Egg Farmers (flocks over 300 laying hens)

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

Reused cartons are allowed, with conditions.

“using new or clean cartons … removing the business name/brand, grading station information, size, lot code and grade from any reused cartons”

Refrigeration

4°C or colder where the rule applies.

“keep the eggs at a temperature of 4°C or lower until the eggs are sold, including during transportation, display and storage.”

The label must show

  • "ungraded eggs" or "œufs non classés" in easily readable letters
  • Producer's name and contact information
  • Date the eggs were packed

Grading

Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.

“A producer of eggs may sell ungraded eggs directly to consumers at a public market or on the premises on which the eggs were produced in accordance with this section.”

Washing

No washing rule in the regulation. Manitoba Agriculture's factsheet says to brush off light dirt, wash heavier dirt with clean water 10 °C warmer than the egg using a mild food-grade egg detergent, never let eggs sit in water, dry them, and discard eggs with dirt spots larger than a quarter.

Federal rules apply on top of Manitoba's: Canada's federal egg rules. Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.

What changed recently

  1. 2025-05-15 · M.R. 37/2025 replaced the ungraded-egg rule in the Poultry Products Regulation: producers may now sell ungraded eggs directly to consumers at public markets as well as on their premises (previously barred at public markets and retail stores), with carton, label and 4°C rules. Source
  2. 2025-05-15 · M.R. 36/2025 amended the Food and Food Handling Establishments Regulation: no food handling permit and no approved-source rule for ungraded egg sales made under s. 7.1 of the Poultry Products Regulation. Source

Common questions

Do I need a licence to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Manitoba?
Yes. With 300 laying hens or fewer you need no Manitoba Egg Farmers registration, and you may sell ungraded eggs directly to consumers on your farm or at public markets, kept at 4°C. Small-flock line: 300 laying hens or fewer. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Manitoba?
Allowed with conditions. Allowed since May 15, 2025 at a public market (more than two people selling their own agricultural products), under the same s. 7.1(2) rules, with eggs kept at 4°C or lower on display (M.R. 211/87 R, s. 7.1). Manitoba Agriculture suggests a mini fridge or plug-in cooler at the booth. No food handling permit is needed for these sales. Also check with Manitoba Egg Farmers (flocks over 300 laying hens).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Manitoba?
With conditions. The rule reads: "using new or clean cartons … removing the business name/brand, grading station information, size, lot code and grade from any reused cartons"
What has to be on the carton label in Manitoba?
"ungraded eggs" or "œufs non classés" in easily readable letters, Producer's name and contact information, Date the eggs were packed. The rule reads: "package the eggs in clean cartons that are marked as "ungraded eggs" or "œufs non classés" in letters of a size and prominence that are easily readable and that are labelled with the producer's name and contact information and the date on which the eggs were packaged;"
Do eggs I sell in Manitoba have to be kept cold?
Yes, at 4°C or colder. The rule reads: "keep the eggs at a temperature of 4°C or lower until the eggs are sold, including during transportation, display and storage."
Sources
Read the 23 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • The factsheet calls the 300-hen rule the 'Laying Hen Quota Order'; the order read is the Egg and Pullet Producer Registration Order (M.R. 290/2014, s. 5(e)) plus the Laying Hen Penalty Levies Regulation (M.R. 44/97). A separately titled 'Laying Hen Quota Order' was not found on the Manitoba Laws site.
  • The factsheet lists 'temporary food markets' and 'community supported agriculture' as places to sell; the regulation's words are 'a public market' and 'the premises on which the eggs were produced', with later delivery allowed. A CSA pickup away from the farm or a market with two or fewer sellers is not plainly covered.
  • The Premises ID requirement (Animal Premises Identification Regulation) rests on the factsheet; that regulation was not read.
  • Duck and other poultry eggs: 'poultry products' and 'eggs' in M.R. 211/87 R were not checked for species limits.
  • The 2025 changes followed an EngageMB consultation ('Amendments to the Poultry Products Regulation and Food and Food Handling Establishments Regulation'); the consultation page was not read.
  • The Manitoba Agriculture web page and factsheet show no page date; the factsheet PDF was created 2026-08-25.

Elsewhere in Canada

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No licence for small salesDepends how you sellRegistration or licenceNot stated or not checked

All of Canada

Coloured by the small-flock licence rule, with the rules that apply everywhere in Canada.

Canada overview →

Legal where you live? Then keep the books.

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