RIDGELAND, MISS. — Cal-Maine Foods Inc. is planning to invest $40 million into a series of capital projects that will expand the company’s cage-free production capabilities.

The egg producer plans to raise the funds via a combination of cash on hand, investment securities sales and operating cash flow.

Expected projects include the construction of five cage-free layer houses that will primarily replace recently retired caged facilities across its sites in Florida, Georgia, Utah and Texas and add approximately 1 million cage-free layer hens, according to Cal-Maine.

Construction is set to begin by the end of the year, with an expected completion date of summer 2025.

“We are pleased to announce these new expansion projects, which support our strategy to increase our free-range production in line with customer demand and expanding state requirements for cage-free eggs,” said Sherman Miller, president and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine Foods.

The company also has made additional production improvements through its conversion of the former Tyson Foods facilities in Dexter, Mo., which were acquired earlier this year. Cal-Maine has worked to repurpose the assets for use in shell egg production and expects to add roughly 1.2 million free-range hens by fall of 2025 through commitments with local contract growers.

“We have made considerable progress with the conversion of the Dexter facilities and look forward to the additional production and distribution capabilities from this location,” Miller said.