Ranking well on Google is good but what benefit in being No 1?

In this modern age, electronics play a key role in life, a website is essential for any business – but there is no need for it to be a costly undertaking. We set up our own website using the Weebly platform and have undertaken Search Engine optmisation ourselves. A professional SEO operator may have done a better job but it probably would not have been cost effective. Our eggs already regularly sell out so there is no economic benefit in being number1 on Google – which the SEO people say they can do for us. A higher ranking cannot inctrease our sales because each week we have nothing left to sell..

On our latest check of search engine optimisation, www.freeranger.com.au appears to be ranking well on Google for keywords such as freerange eggs. Analysis suggests we need to increase the number of referring domains – we currently have just 58 compared with 972 for Australian Eggs.

Chickens love roosting in trees

Our hens spend hours each day sitting in trees or shrubs in their paddocks.

How to keep up vitaminD levels in Covid 19 lockdown

The Covid 19 pandemic has increased the problem of vitamin D deficiencies. As people have been more confined indoors, they have been cut off from the beneficial effects of sunlight. It is common for vitamin D deficienies to range from 20 to 36%. Food high in vitamin D are essential to maintain health, and eggs are at the top of the pile. Especially free range eggs laid by hens with unrestricted access to sunlight as they roam over pasture. protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin B2 iodine and selenium. They also contain vitamin A, calcium, phosphorous, folate, biotin, choline, thiamine and pantothenic acid as well as beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and very little damaging cholesterol.

A couple eggs a day for an adult provides over 80% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D as well as many other essential minerals and nutrients,protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin B2 iodine and selenium. They also contain vitamin A, calcium, phosphorous, folate, biotin, choline, thiamine and pantothenic acid as well as beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and very little damaging cholesterol. More information on our website

Lobby Groups' push for more cuts in farm animal welfare standards may pose food safety issues for consumers

Changes are being drafted to national standards and guidelines for farm animal welfare. New standards will replace current Model Codes of practice for many farm animals. The Model Code which covered free range poultry has already been thrown out by politicians and replaced with an absurdly high stocking density standard. Under the Code, Free range density was limited to a maximum of 15,000 hens per hectare but politicians trashed that and approved 10,000 hens per hectare to be classified as free range – putting hens and consumers at risk through the build up of pathogens. Despite their victory on conning politicians lobby groups and industrial-scale producers will push for an even more extreme relaxation of standards. This may be the last opportunity to return sanity to the issue of stocking density as there was  no scienece behind the move to allow an intensive density. It's not just a  welfare issue. Such high stocking rates contaminate soils and waterways.

The standards and guidelines are being developed under the direction of an Animal Welfare Task Group, which includes representatives from each of the departments responsible for animal welfare, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries. standards and guidelines currently under development, public consultation and endorsed standards and guidelines for farm animals are available at animalwelfarestandards.net.au.

Setting up a free range farm business

Anyone thinking about making a career or lifestyle change should think about free range farming.

Clear consumer demand for free range eggs has generated a strong increase in the number of people wanting to start their own free range egg business.

A good starting point is reading the eBook on starting a free range farm available on the Freeranger Eggs website: www.freeranger.com.au . Detailed information is available on the Freeranger Club downloads page about things like shed requirements, food safety, egg packaging and labelling.

When you decide to set up a free range egg farm, take the time to plan it properly. Find out the zoning of the land and talk to your local Council planning department about their requirements. It’s also worth contacting the State Department of Agriculture. You can find on-line resources in most states. In Victoria, contact: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/farm-management/business-management/permits/guidelines-for-rural-planning-applications. Once that is sorted, talk to your Council Environmental Health Department about any specific requirements they have before you get underway. However, don't even think about it if you want a business to provide you with a Mercedes every time a new model is released and you expect an overseas holiday every year or two - open a Mcdonald's franchise instead.

free range hens lay more eggs

Researchers at the University of New England have confirmed that free range hens are more productive and lay more eggs, compared with hens kept in cages or locked in sheds. They found that ranging hens produce more eggs not only because they range, but because they seem to have a more vigorous approach to life. The academics confirmed knowledge gained by free range farmers everywhere. The research seems to suggest that even hens kept in intensive conditions on dodgy free range laying facilities with 10,000 hens per hectare lay more eggs. The University of New England researchers, led by Dr Isabelle Ruhnke tracked over15,000 hens on five production sheds from the time a flock was placed at16 weeks old to when they were removed at 74 weeks of age. The researchers said the first major finding to emerge from the resulting data was that those hens who preferred to range outside began laying earlier. They also produced about 15 percent more eggs at 22 weeks of age than those who prefer to stay inside. For the intensive operations, the increased output can translate to hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra revenue each year. Part of the reason for bigger profits is that feed costs are reduced. Feed represents up to 70 percent of the cost of egg production and when hens are confined they are only able eat feed available in the shed, but when outside they can also eat their natural diet of other seeds, grasses and insects. To see how a real free range farm operates, check out the freeranger Eggs website

Calcium in poultry diet may reduce problems with salmonella

Researchers at at Texas A&M University recently completed a project on the role calcium plays in the intestinal health of poultry, particularly in relation to the development of salmonella. Dr. Audrey McElroy conducted two experiments to better define the involvement of calcium in the diet. Data showed that dietary calcium, contributes to intestinal health and bird performance.It may be as important as low stocking densities in preventing salmonella contamination.

More free range farms needed

Genuine free range farms have been swamped by demand for eggs as consumers have realised that eggs in major supermarkets are not the real thing but are all from intensive production systems. Real free range farms like ours, sell out all the time, so there is a huge need for more producers to meet expectations. Following strong consumer demand, anyone can set up their own free range egg farm. What’s needed is a little help to get established. Freeranger Eggs, has always encouraged people to set up their own free range farms producing eggs for their local communities. Workshops have been run on the farm, demonstrating how to do it. An eBook has also been produced, going through all the steps needed for a successful venture. Check out the website www.freeranger.com.auhttps://www.freeranger.com.au/