Another way to look at it might be the replacement cost for the eggs you would have gotten over the period it takes to buy new chicks and raise them to laying age. We don't sell our eggs, but we do keep chickens so that we can have "organic" eggs (or the equivalent -- i.e. non-factory farmed). If somebody's dog killed all our chickens, it would probably take about 6-7 months before we could raise a new set of birds to the same production level as we had before -- or maybe even longer (e.g. if current season isn't favorable for bringing up new chicks).
So you could figure the cost of buying the same amount of "organic" eggs at the store over the period it will take before you're getting your own eggs again.
For example, if you had 5 adult birds, and they averaged 3 eggs per day, that would be about 90 eggs per month (3/day x 30 days), or about 7-1/2 dozen/month. If it takes 6 months to get back to that production rate, that would be 45 dozen eggs (7-1/2 dozen/month x 6 months) you'd have to buy yourself at the store (since your chickens were dead). If organic eggs cost $3.00 per dozen, that would add up to $135 total ($3/dozen x 45 dozen) in egg costs to you, since you have to now buy eggs, instead of getting them from your chickens. That works out to about $27/chicken ($135 / 5 chickens).
So in addition to the cost of having to buy new baby chicks, you can add the cost of having to buy your eggs for a while as well. That said, $35+/bird doesn't seem too unreasonable to me.
Key concept is that you should be reimbursed for both the original item and the service/product you've lost as well.
So you could figure the cost of buying the same amount of "organic" eggs at the store over the period it will take before you're getting your own eggs again.
For example, if you had 5 adult birds, and they averaged 3 eggs per day, that would be about 90 eggs per month (3/day x 30 days), or about 7-1/2 dozen/month. If it takes 6 months to get back to that production rate, that would be 45 dozen eggs (7-1/2 dozen/month x 6 months) you'd have to buy yourself at the store (since your chickens were dead). If organic eggs cost $3.00 per dozen, that would add up to $135 total ($3/dozen x 45 dozen) in egg costs to you, since you have to now buy eggs, instead of getting them from your chickens. That works out to about $27/chicken ($135 / 5 chickens).
So in addition to the cost of having to buy new baby chicks, you can add the cost of having to buy your eggs for a while as well. That said, $35+/bird doesn't seem too unreasonable to me.
Key concept is that you should be reimbursed for both the original item and the service/product you've lost as well.
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sorry for your loss
