Set up more free range farms

Proposed changes to farm planning regulations in Victoria, and the national decision by Ministers for Consumer Affairs to allow a huge stocking density of 10,000 chickens per hectare on free range farms has led to a strong increase in the number of people thinking about starting 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 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.

Gate sales are going strong 24/7

Our gate sales are still going extremely well.Each week they add up to as many or more than we used to sell at markets. Hopefully the yellow cool box inside our front gate will continue to be popular over the summer months as we will have plenty of eggs. A new flock of Isa Brown pullets arrive just before Christmas so they will be in full lay by the middle of January. The cool box is stocked every day and the eggs are available anytime, day or night. Anyone needing a special order (multiple dozens, eggs on trays or specific sizes) just send us an email or ring and we will package your order in the box.

Model Code should be legislated as the free range standard

Political dithering over hen welfare and the definition of free range shows the high level of incompetence displayed by politicians and bureacrats. Rather than dream up a raft of new legislation and standards, simply enshrine into law The Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals (Domestic Poultry). Development of the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Domestic Poultry 4th Edition, When the current version of the Code was approved by the Primary Industries Ministerial Council and printed in 2002, it was scheduled for review in 2010. It was a development of an earlier version of the Model Code. It is essential for the free range sector of the egg industry to ensure that intensive production standards tare not adopted in place of the extensive requirements of the current code. There has been no science behind high density free range proposals (other than the certainty of increased profits. No scientific review of production processes has been undertaken to demonstrate that the standards contained within the current voluntary Model Code are no longer applicable to the industry. The stocking density of 1500 hens per hectare for free range hens was developed by applying well established principles of agronomy. The issue of the upper limit on the long term stocking rate was debated strongly at the time, following pressure from local Councils and the EPA about how some farms were operating. Experience was taken into account of people who had farmed free range layers in the 1950’s and 60's, when all egg production was based on free range principles. Hens were often run under citrus trees It was recognised that for an operation to be sustainable, the stocking rate had to be low - less than 300 birds/acre (750/hectare). It was agreed that such a system should be regarded as Free Range egg production and the hens were to have access to the range during daylight hours. There was some dispute by new entrants to the industry who believed that they could design pasture rotation systems around their sheds that would allow higher rates. So it was decided to take an empirical approach and work out what the maximum stocking rate could be to avoid the measurable negative impacts of nutrient run off and soil degradation and still be theoretically possible to maintain pasture cover and avoid the issue of dust. Some argued that as most hens were in sheds at night and may be locked in for part of the day so that only a portion of the hens actually entered the range area at any one time, the impact was lessened. The dairy industry was very big at that time and local agronomists had data on the effects of applying very high rates of poultry manure on irrigated pasture. The agronomists studied the data on the maximum nutrient uptake a well maintained irrigated pasture could support and also avoid the problems of salinity build up observed in the dairy pastures. The stocking rate was calculated and a stocking density of up to 600 birds/acre (1500/hectare) was regarded as the maximum possible for long term sustainability. At the time the Code was approved, it was accepted that to maintain consumer credibility, visitors or passers-by had to see the birds out and about on the range. It was also accepted that there is no valid animal management need to lock in the layers in the morning or during inclement weather. Those currently involved in free range egg production agree that the fundamental elements of the Model Code, or other regulations introduced by Governments should be:  a maximum stocking density of 1500 hens per hectare;  stocking density must be reduced in conditions where pasture or other vegetative cover cannot be maintained at the maximum stocking density;  no beak trimming of hens is permitted except when other methods of controlling outbreaks of severe feather pecking or cannibalism have been tried and failed (using the same criteria in the current Model Code); and  pullets must be allowed to range freely once they are fully feathered (about six weeks old).

International Egg Commission biosecurity checklist for all egg farms.

The International Egg Commission (IEC) has developed a Practical Biosecurity Check List designed to help egg businesses improve their overall biosecurity. The comprehensive Biosecurity Check List is freely available to the egg industry. It provides practical guidelines for egg farmers and producer businesses, to help reduce the risk of infection. The guide can downloaded here:http://1pfp2yazjqr27ku7g3h8zwwx-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IEC-BIO-BROCHURE-FINAL-11.09.17.pdf or from https://www.internationalegg.com/iec-avian-influenza-expert-groups-new-practical-biosecurity-check-list-is-available-to-download/ Details are also on the Freeranger Club member downloads page of the Freeranger Eggs website http://www.freeranger.com.au/

Intensive egg production facilities dominate in Australia but there's still a place for traditional free range family farms

The increasing scale of large, intensive egg production facilities is demonstrated in this article published by Poultry Hub.There are now very few traditional free range farms left in Australia because of Government red tape and pressure from big business.Only the massive corporate businesses have sufficient volumes to meet the requirements of major supermarkets - so it's a waste of time looking in supermarkets if people want genuine free range eggs. In Australia, the chicken layer industry, or egg industry, is an important intensive animal production system. The egg industry has displayed strong growth over the past decade due to rising per capita consumption of eggs (a little over 200 eggs per year/person). Egg is considered as an alternative source of protein to meat. Eggs have four broad production types: cage, free-range, barn-laid and organic. Backyard egg production is also common in Australia and is closely tied in with Australians fondness of poultry. Over the past five years, there has been increasing demand for free range eggs due to welfare issues in cage egg production system. Free-range egg production system allows hens to roam freely over a greater area, including outdoors. The industry is gradually moving from cage egg production system to free-range egg production system in Australia. Chicken eggs and egg products have traditionally been, and still are, a popular part of the human diet. The egg is formed in the reproductive organs of the female chicken. Most commercial strains of hen can lay over 260 eggs per year and some improved breeds can lay over 300 eggs in a year – this is almost an egg every day. It is not necessary for a hen to mate with a rooster before she can produce an egg. Modern types of hen have been bred so that they will lay even if there is no chance of producing a chick. Layer chicks are sexed and the females are sold as future layers and the males are humanely killed. Production of eggs to meet Australian demand Eggs are collected as soon as possible after being laid and are held in cool storage to protect internal quality. Farmers check eggs for quality using a special lighting (candling) system. Cracked or weak-shelled eggs and other abnormal eggs are discarded. A sample of each batch of collected eggs is checked for internal quality and freshness. The eating value of eggs has long been recognised. An egg contains 12% shell (which is not eaten), however the remainder of the egg is a mix of protein, energy, minerals and vitamins. This means that eggs are a highly nutritious food that forms part of a good mixed diet. Eggs contain the substance cholesterol, which has been seen in the past as an undesirable characteristic. However, this issue has been simplified as there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ forms of cholesterol and eggs have been shown to increase the ‘good’ form of cholesterol in the blood of people who consume eggs (Djousse and Gaziano (2008) AJCN, 87(4):964-969). Reports suggest that consumption of eggs everyday is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Eggs also contain many other beneficial fats and amino acids. Some producers have marketed specialty eggs which are fat modified (omega-3 enriched). This is done by feeding hens on a specially selected diet. Systems used to produce eggs The farmer who produces eggs is commonly referred to as an egg producer. Extensive Back yard layers There was once a time when every farm and many suburban households had a few chooks scavenging in the yard, getting some household scraps, and sometimes getting a handful of wheat each day. This method of farming is called extensive. The number of these farms decreased as intensive farming methods developed, allowing one person to care for large numbers of birds. Semi-intensive Until the 1950s, commercial egg producers had a few hundred to a few thousand hens housed in a shed with access to a yard surrounded by a 2 m high wire netting fence to keep foxes away. These were called semi-intensive farms and were often located in country areas close to the source of feed ingredients, especially wheat. Similar semi-intensive farms of a few thousand birds had become popular on the outskirts of major cities by the middle of the 1950s. This location was favoured because it was closer to the city market, where most eggs were sold. Intensive Intensive production means large numbers of animals are kept in a small area. With the introduction of layer Free-range can still be intensive cages in the 1960s, farms became more intensive and larger flocks, up to 15,000 birds, became common. In 1979, there were 3200 layer farms in Australia but by 1986 this number had reduced to 1700. A few very large farms, with up to 100,000 birds, developed in the 1970s. Today some farms have over 500,000 hens in multiple level sheds.

New poultry welfare standards

Animal Health Australia has invited public submissions on new welfare standards for chickens.

Interested people are invited to participate in the public consultation on the draft Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry. The consultation period begins today and closes on 26 February 2018. It is important thatsubmissions are made by a wide range of stakeholders to provide governments with a high level of confidence that wide views have been considered.         Email submissions to Animal Health Australia. The proposed new welfare standards for poultry announced by AHA ,appear to be a waste of time. A section in the Regulation Impact Statement demonstrates that the over-riding consideration is financial and that both animal welfare and consumer expectations are secondary concerns. in the document AHA states:‘It is possible to have a physically healthy productive animal that is in a poor state of welfare due to, for instance, mental stress. Indeed, apart from physiological functioning, physical condition and performance – brain state, behaviour, and even an animal’s emotions are now all recognised as key factors in assessing an animal’s welfare. In terms of this broader understanding of animal welfare there can be insufficient economic incentive for a poultry farm to reduce risks to animal welfare, especially where doing so would increase costs with little or no offsetting gains to the business. In fact, egg laying rates are higher in cages than in barns or free range farms; and lowering stocking densities in non-cage egg production systems provides no offsetting benefits to the producer". A better approach would be to adopt the existing Model Code as the standard. It would be more effective and far less costly.

Global Food Security-Free range production can help

the 3rd International Conference on Global Food Security:Global Challenges, Local Solutions and Connected Pathways,is being held in Cape Town, South Africa from December 3 -6. Freeranger eggs believes that food security is best achieved by encouraging networks of small-scale, sustainable farming enterprises. Every village or township around the world could be supplied by its own egg farm as well as suitable crop production. There is a huge untapped demand from consumers for eggs To help meet this shortage, crowd funding is being sought by Freeranger Eggs to develop webinars, to help people establish free range farms which meet consumer expectations, without having to travel for hours to a farm workshop The webinars, together with an eBook will provide all the tools needed to set up a successful free range business.  help the crowd funding appeal here

Egg production sham

Before the Second World War, most egg production came from farm flocks of less than 400 hens. By the early 1960s, new technologies and the development of sophisticated mechanical equipment designed to increase profits, produced a fundamental change from small farm flocks to large industrial-scale operations.In Australia there were over 3000 egg producers in 1980. The number shrank to 1700 by the mid ‘80’s and now there are less than 1000 – mostly intensive industrial-scale producers. There are probably less than 100 genuine free range egg farmers left in this country. For major egg producers flocks of 100,000 laying hens are common, and some have flocks of more than a million. Because of inept political decisions in Australia, some intensive producers are able to label their eggs as free range. There are still a few traditional free range producers around, such as us at Freeranger Eggs.

New research into poultry nutrition

Research into the nutritional requirements for poultry is being conducted by the National Academy of Sciences in the US..The study will examine requirements for digestible phosphorus and amino acids and examine new information about nutrient metabolism and utilization. It will provide a review of nutritional and feeding strategies to minimise nutrient excretion. A discussion of the effect of feeding on the nutritional quality of poultry meat and eggs will be included. Effects of the environment, feed management, and other production aspects on nutrient requirements, including antibiotics and their alternatives, will be addressed.. We hope that the findings will demonstrate that nutrients derived from pasture make a considerable contribution to the diet of hens. The last research by NAS on poultry nutritional requirements was in 1994.

Mobile sheds ideal for free range hens

Mobile sheds are ideal roosting and laying houses for free range hens. They can be moved regularly onto fresh pasture.It doesn't make much difference if the sheds are on wheels or skids - wheels make them easy to manoeuvre but the advantage of skids is - no punctures. We normally run four or five different flocks of 200 -300 birds. Our eBook details the process for setting up a small-scale free range egg farm which meets all consumer expectations as well as the red tape imposed by regulations.

Lighting in sheds can lift egg production - but increases stress on hens

Intensive farming operations are able to produce more food at lower costs - that's why food such as eggs from hens on genuine free range farms can be more expensive than the type typically bought in supermarkets. Many producers - even some who call themselves 'free range' have installed lighting in laying sheds to increase short-term production - and profits. There are no lights in our sheds,so at Freeranger Eggs, our hens follow their normal life rhythms - sleeping when it gets dark then waking up at daybreak.

South Africa may import eggs

Major Australian egg producers may be able to sell eggs in South Africa following new cases of avian influenza in that country. Since June when the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was discovered, an estimated 15 percent of the country’s layer flock has succumbed to the disease, and the authorities are considering the need for future egg imports. 

Clean drinking water essential for poultry health and top production

The importance of providing clean drinking water for laying has been highlighted by a British veterinary poultry specialist. Dr Ian Lowery found that dirty water lines could cost egg producers eight per cent in lost production and result in higher bird mortality, He found that performance fell in hens drinking water that contained high levels of bacteria and other contaminants.

Unfair compliance costs for farmers

The cost of complying with a range of national and state regulations adds at least 20% to the cost of eggs in Australia and it’s much the same in Europe where complying with European Union legislation adds, on average, an extra 16 percent to the cost of egg production.. Here, legitimate egg farmers are required to meet stringent planning regulations as well as food safety , packaging and labelling laws, while some operators are completely exempt from regulations. This results in unfair competition with many thousands of eggs sold to unsuspecting consumers. Those eggs from non-compliant producers, meet no food safety standards and present a severe health risk to families.

Petition challenging Victorian Government farm planning changes

The Australian poultry industry is in turmoil over conflicting regulations by Government departments. Victoria State planners overturned a decision by Ministers for Consumer Affairs who caved in to industry demands that intensive poultry farms should be allowed to describe their eggs as free range. Proposed changes to Victoria's planning laws demonstrate the incompetence of Ministers for Consumer Affairs who approved an outdoor stocking density of 10,000 chickens per hectare for free range egg production. But the proposed change to a maximum of 450 hens over an entire property is absurd. Under the changes, permits will not be required for back-yard egg producers with up to 200 chickens and hobby farmers with less than 450 hens. The new planning reforms seem to suggest that genuine egg farmers aiming to make a living will now have to obtain permits for an activity that was regarded by most planning officers as an 'as of right' use on land in a farming zone. Far from improving the concept of a 'right to farm' the changes will have a negative impact on farmers. The planning changes amount to an assault on free range farming. Please help us to change the Government’s mind by signing this petition.

Sustainable, carbon neutral egg production

The Freeranger Eggs farm at Grantville is an example of sustainable farming. The farm management plan takes a three pillars approach to how the farm operates. Animal welfare is one pillar, but equally important are land sustainability and food safety. Despite all the political bickering in Canberra over emissions trading scheme targets, some small businesses have been playing their part in addressing the problem. Freeranger Eggs in Victoria has been getting on with mitigating the impact of carbon emissions. The farm's carbon footprint is limited by imposing a food miles policy for deliveries, using recycled materials and equipment whenever possible, utilising solar power and mechanical processes and an effective waste reduction programme. As a result, the 1200-chicken farm generates only about 60 tonnes of CO2 each year. But it is better than carbon neutral, it is carbon positive. The average organic matter in soil tests was 4.1 per cent in 2004, in 2006 it was 6.0 per cent, and in 2009 it was 7.9 percent. Calculations based on 2-inch deep samples, show that over those five years the farm sequestered about 14 tons of CO2 per acre or four tonnes of carbon per acre on the grasslands. Further testing and calculations have not been carried out because there has been a total lack of interest in the results. The farm applies no chemical fertilisers, herbicides, or pesticides and this policy increases the biological life in the soil and increases the rate of carbon sequestration. Rotational grazing is practised on the pastures – taking advantage of photosynthesis to pull CO2 into the plants and then into the roots from where it transfers to the soil. In addition, every year at least another tonne of CO2 per acre continues to be sequestered by the regrowth of Kangaroo Apples (Solanum laciniatum) in the main paddocks. Native vegetation has been protected on approximately 100 acres of the property and regeneration there sequesters a further tonne of CO2 per acre. This brings a grand total of 1500 tonnes of CO2 sequestered on this property over five years – an average rate of 300 tonnes per year compared with the farm's carbon output of around 60 tonnes. On days of full sun the solar panels on the farm shed generate 13 - 17kW of electricity a day and as on average the farm consumes just 9kW a day it helps the bottom line. Freeranger Eggs gained international recognition in 2012 as the Australian winner of the Energy Globe Award.

World Egg Day may help boost webinar funding

Friday October 13 is World Egg Day, established by the International Egg Commission. We hope it will result in donations to our crowd funding appeal to set up webinars on establishing genuine free range egg farms. People need every encouragement to set up low density free range farms to meet consumer demands. Details at https://www.gofundme.com/2tar52cThere is growing consumer demand for eggs -particularly the free range variety which is why corporate producers label their eggs as free range. To celebrate World Egg Day, egg lovers across Australia have revealed their favourite ways to eat them. Eggs are a popular choice – 93 per cent of Australian households eat eggs with 63 per cent describing themselves as egg lovers. Eggs aren’t just a weekend treat, with 51 per cent consumed on a weekday, highlighting just how versatile they are as a meal option.

High level of egg production

Our hens are laying well and the excellent level of production means that we are easily meeting our regular orders.A new monthly market at Corinella starts next Saturday (Oct !4), the day after World Egg Day and as Corinella is just down the road, we will be there with a full selection of eggs. including dozens of our huge Megga Eggs (950g packs). Our new flock has just started laying so we will also have some pullet eggs for those who like small eggs.

Canada introduces tighter free range standards

The Canadian Province of British Columbia has introduced standards for free range egg farms which show just how pathetic the regulations are which were introduced by our Ministers for Consumer Affairs. The standards in Australia are loose and have no audit or enforcement mechanism.Click here for details in Canada

More interest in starting free range egg farms

Proposed changes to farm planning regulations in Victoria, and the decision by Ministers for Consumer Affairs to allow a huge stocking density of 10,000 chickens per hectare on free range farms has not daunted newcomers to the industry. There has been a strong increase in the number of enquiries from people thinking about starting their own free range egg business. A good starting point is reading an eBook on starting a free range farm available on the Freeranger Eggs website: www.freereanger.com.au When deciding to set up a free range egg farm, take the time to plan 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. At an early stage in the process, talk to your Council Environmental Health Department about any specific requirements they have.