We are again one of the top egg farm blogs in the world

 

Once again, this blog has been recognised as one of the top 15 poultry blogs in the world.

New pullets have arrived

 Our latest point of lay Isa Brown pullets were delivered yesterday. They are looking great, as always. Our supplier, Yellingo Free Range hens does a terrific job raising the chooks. Thanks Kevin. As usual, we ordered a few more than we need as our replacements, which allows some pullets to be sold to locals who want hens in their backyards. All are fully beaked and have been innoculated against the main  poultry ailments Mareks disease Newcastle disease, Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD), Infectious Bronchitis (IB)Infectious Laryo Tracheitis (ILT Egg Drop Syndrome (EDS) Fowl Pox (FP) contact us if you would like to order some.

Time for truth about the egg shortage

 What is the truth about a shortage of eggs in supermarkets? Producers say there are plenty of eggs  despite minor disruptions in the supply chain. Australian Eggs managing director Rowan McMonnies said there is no imbalance between supply and demand.However major supermarkets have blamed a shortage of supply as the reason behind their bare shelves.  They can’t both be right!

Avian Influenza spread by workers at intensive facilities

 Even Americans are beginning to recognise that it is the huge numbers of chickens housed for egg production that causes health problems and results in a decline in egg production, The New York Times pushed that point recently, along with the revelation that the diseases are usually a result of contamination by workers. That certainly seems to be the case with the latest outbreaks of Avian Influenza at Euroa.

Isa Brown pullets available

 Until more free range farms are established, the best way for lovers of good food is to have their own chickens to lay eggs.

Point of lay Isa Browns are available from us in Stanley Road Grantville  at $35 each. A few older hens are $20 each. 0356788483

Demand for eggs has gone through the roof and consequently there is a shortage – which in turn has led to a massive clamour from people wanting chickens for their backyards. We have been unable to meet that demand until now. From late February we will have  Isa Brown chickens available at the farm.  Email or call to place orders.

Setting up your own farm can be easier than you think

 

Setting up your own free range farm could be easier than you think. Our eBook on how to set up a sustainable freerange farm is even more valuable now the clear consumer demand for free range eggs is outstripping supply. The current shortage of eggs provides huge opportunities.The shortage demonstrates the importance of local production and provides a great opportunity for new small scale egg operations to supply needs in each area. Low density systems are far less susceptible to disease than the major industrial-scale producers and an additional benefit is that the supply chain is far shorter.

Small, ethical and sustainable farm businesses can be established to service local communities.

A good starting point is checking out our website then reading our(pdf) eBook on starting a free range farm. Order via email and the pdf will be sent once payment appears in the Bendigo Bank bank account send $245 to A & P Westwood BSB 633000 acc 153356233.

Egg shortage expected to continue in 2025

 

The poultry industry expects the shortage of eggs will continue throughout 2025 because of the numbers of chickens culled following outbreaks of avian influenza. Last year more than 2 million laying hens were euthanised in Australia. The shortage demonstrates the importance of local production and provides a great opportunity for new small scale egg operations to supply needs in each area. Low density systems are far less susceptible to disease than the major industrial-scale producers.  An additional benefit is that the supply chain is far shorter. Most outbreaks of avian influenza originated on major production facilities spread by workers travelling between businesses.

Contact us if you would like to set up your own free range egg business.

Victoria's public service out of control

 

The Victorian Government has revealed why the State is in so much trouble. Spending on Victoria’s public servants has jumped by $2.7 billion.The latest figure revealed by the State Government is up from the forecast $34.77bn for Victoria’s public sector wages bill, set out in the 2022-23 budget.

Victoria’s public sector workforce has increased by 59% in the 15 years to 2022-23, double the 29% growth in the state’s population.. Is it any wonder that the State is broke!

Sunlight maintains bird health

 Free range egg laying hens enjoy the benefits of an outdoor life with sunlight to keep them healthy. When deprived of natural sunlight, a vitamin D deficiency often results in bone density problems .

The average broiler chicken lives 6–8 weeks and spends all of that time indoors. It has been found that optimum weight gain in broiler hens occurs with 16 hours of lighting and 8 hours of darkness. This forced growth often creates health issues. Among other things, weight-gain can exceed skeletal development. Researchers at Auburn University in Alabama are investigating the use of natural light in broiler houses and its effects on bird performance and welfare. A team of agricultural engineers, animal scientists and Extension specialists at the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station was awarded $300,000 by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study the impact natural light will have on commercial broiler flocks’ growth and welfare. The team says it will also develop a method for measuring the environmental impact of using more natural light compared with artificial light in sheds.

Yuletide greetings to all our customers

 WE hope all friends and customers have a merry and safe Christmas.

Sustainability and Steady State economics

Regenerative agriculture is an ideal route to sustainable farming.

Here's a link to our website's page on sustainability 

https://www.freeranger.com.au/sustainable-farming.html

Easy Steps in setting up your own Free Range egg business

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

Strong consumer demand for free range eggs has generated interest all over australia in how to start a free range egg business.

A good starting point is reading the eBook on starting a free range farm available on the Freeranger Eggs website. Detailed information is available 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 access on-line resources . Once that is sorted, talk to the Council Environmental Health Department about any specific requirements they have before you get underway. It’s not. As long as you have thought through your plans. A mistake made by many people is buying everything new to set up the farm. Start off by making use of things you already have such as sheds and equipment. Buying expensive chicken caravans with automatic nest boxes and feeders will give you a crippling debt burden and endless pain – so make do with what you have until you are ready to take another step.It’s essential to choose the right type of hens. Docile birds with calm temperaments and which are prolific layers are what’s needed. We have found ISABrown’s to be ideal. The Freeranger Eggs 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. Growth is not a part of our philosophy. We need to encourage people to set up more farms, not upscale existing egg businesses. We believe that will support more people working the land fairly and will ensure long-term food security. One key element for success is to limit spending, If you have a big mortgage and lease payments on vehicles and equipment, it will be hard to stay in business. Regular financial payments will be a drain on resources when there is a drop in revenue for whatever reason.Pricing will always be important if you aim to produce top quality eggs. Work out your costings and don’t try to compete on price because bigger producers will always undercut you, Academic researchers often produce theories and reports designed to demonstrate what 'free range' means in the egg industry. Celebrity chefs usually confine themselves to mistaken comments that bright yolk colour defines whether or not an egg is free range. Yolk colour varies, depending on the hen’s diet. If the yolk colour is always a bright, golden almost orange colour, the hens have almost certainly been fed colouring additives. Academic findings are usually based on carefully arranged criteria set by an organisation which funded the research and expects specific outcomes. Far better to rely on the experience of those in the industry actually running free range egg farms. Some people are fixated on the issue of animal welfare and they lose sight of matters like food safety and land sustainability. Outdoor stocking density is a key example. Academics found it easy to come up with results from research on small scale or short term projects to demonstrate that stocking densities had little or no impact on hen welfare. But it has been impossible for them to demonstrate that high densities have no detrimental impact on pasture quality, pollution of waterways, groundwater and the long term productivity of the land as a result of excessive nutrient loads. The maximum sustainable stocking density for poultry was established at 1500 hens per hectare to minimise land degredation and ensure the long-term viability of the land.

Laying hens, like most if not all other animals, perform best when they are able to follow their natural behaviour. They clearly need shelter, food and water but they also need to wander around freely to forage, scratch, dust bathe and interact socially with others in the flock.

There is growing evidence that eggs from hens raised on pasture have nutritional benefits over the factory farm versions.

In 1974, the British Journal of Nutrition found that pastured eggs had 50 percent more folic acid and 70 percent more vitamin B12 than eggs from factory farm hens.

In 1988, Artemis Simopoulos, co-author of The Omega Diet, found pastured eggs in Greece contained 13 times more Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids than U.S. commercial eggs. A 1998 study in Animal Feed Science and Technology found that pastured eggs had higher Omega 3 and vitamin E than eggs from caged hens.

A 1999 study by Barb Gorski at Pennsylvania State University found that eggs from pastured birds had 10 percent less fat, 34 percent less cholesterol, 40 percent more vitamin A, and four times the Omega 3 compared to the standard USDA data.

In 2003, another study at Pennsylvania State University found that pastured eggs had three times more Omega 3, 220 % more vitamin E and 62 % more vitamin A than eggs from caged hens.

Check out the Freeranger website www.freeranger.com.au

Explosion at dodgy US free range farm kills 20,000 hens

 20,000 chickens have been killed in a shed explosion caused by  leaking propane.

Firefighters said the propane explosion levelled a barn housing 20 thousand hens,

Scott Beyer,a poultry specialist at Kansas State University said that the price of eggs would go up as a result of the loss. He said it was a fairly new ‘free-range’ egg operation. and the farmer will now go through the hardship of starting from scratch. Prices of eggs at grocery stores will increase in a market already impacted by the Avian flu.

Mr Beyer said the US egg market has already been hit by bird losses from Avian influenza. 

 

The health of people is being put at risk as a result of air pollution from planned burns of native vegetation. Pyromaniacs in the Victorian Government have drawn up their latest plans to burn Grantville bushland. Bureaucrats in the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action’s Forest Fire Management division say they plan burns starting with 22 hectares in Stanley Road Grantville which they expect to light in February and continue to June. The proposed burns are in close proximity to houses, and to our farm. The pollution is likely to cause breathing difficulties for many and may result in strokes and heart failure.It won't be healthy for our livestock either!

Great interest in how to set up a free range farm

 

Anyone thinking about making a career or lifestyle change could do well to consider free range farming.

Strong consumer demand for free range eggs has created a shortage of eggs and generated interest all over australia in how to start a 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 about things like selecting the right breeds, 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 access on-line resources . Once that is sorted, talk to the Council Environmental Health Department about any specific requirements they have before you get underway. It’s not difficult as long as you have thought through your plans. A mistake made by many people is buying everything new to set up the farm. Start off by making use of things you already have such as sheds and equipment. Buying expensive chicken caravans with automatic nest boxes and feeders will give you a crippling debt burden and endless pain – so make do with what you have until you are ready to take another step.It’s essential to choose the right type of hens. Docile birds with calm temperaments and which are prolific layers are what’s needed. We have found ISABrown’s to be ideal. The Freeranger Eggs 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. Growth is not a part of our philosophy. We need to encourage people to set up more farms, not upscale existing egg businesses. We believe that will support more people working the land fairly and will ensure long-term food security. One key element for success is to limit spending, If you have a big mortgage and lease payments on vehicles and equipment, it will be hard to stay in business. Regular financial payments will be a drain on resources when there is a drop in revenue for whatever reason.Pricing will always be important if you aim to produce top quality eggs. Work out your costings and don’t try to compete on price because bigger producers will always undercut you, Academic researchers often produce theories and reports designed to demonstrate what 'free range' means in the egg industry. Celebrity chefs usually confine themselves to mistaken comments that bright yolk colour defines whether or not an egg is free range. Yolk colour varies, depending on the hen’s diet. If the yolk colour is always a bright, golden almost orange colour, the hens have almost certainly been fed colouring additives. Academic findings are usually based on carefully arranged criteria set by an organisation which funded the research and expects specific outcomes. Far better to rely on the experience of those in the industry actually running free range egg farms. Some people are fixated on the issue of animal welfare and they lose sight of matters like food safety and land sustainability. Outdoor stocking density is a key example. Academics found it easy to come up with results from research on small scale or short term projects to demonstrate that stocking densities had little or no impact on hen welfare. But it has been impossible for them to demonstrate that high densities have no detrimental impact on pasture quality, pollution of waterways, groundwater and the long term productivity of the land as a result of excessive nutrient loads. The maximum sustainable stocking density for poultry was established at 1500 hens per hectare to minimise land degredation and ensure the long-term viability of the land.

Laying hens, like most if not all other animals, perform best when they are able to follow their natural behaviour. They clearly need shelter, food and water but they also need to wander around freely to forage, scratch, dust bathe and interact socially with others in the flock.

There is growing evidence that eggs from hens raised on pasture have nutritional benefits over the factory farm versions.

In 1974, the British Journal of Nutrition found that pastured eggs had 50 percent more folic acid and 70 percent more vitamin B12 than eggs from factory farm hens.

In 1988, Artemis Simopoulos, co-author of The Omega Diet, found pastured eggs in Greece contained 13 times more Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids than U.S. commercial eggs. A 1998 study in Animal Feed Science and Technology found that pastured eggs had higher Omega 3 and vitamin E than eggs from caged hens.

A 1999 study by Barb Gorski at Pennsylvania State University found that eggs from pastured birds had 10 percent less fat, 34 percent less cholesterol, 40 percent more vitamin A, and four times the Omega 3 compared to the standard USDA data.

In 2003, another study at Pennsylvania State University found that pastured eggs had three times more Omega 3, 220 % more vitamin E and 62 % more vitamin A than eggs from caged hens.

26 billion chickens in the world

 The global chicken population has reached 26 billion, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. The number has almost doubled since the year 2000. Most are confined in sheds, whether for meat or egg production.

Aussie Govt may order free range farms to close

 

The Australian Government may be preparing to order the closure of many small scale free range egg farms as a knee-jerk response to further cases of avian influenza, It splurged $22 nillion to increase the national vaccine stockpile. Health Minister Mark Butler warned that there was no room for complacency, even though human infections with avian influenza were rare.

“The Australian government’s investment increases the number of pandemic flu vaccines we have in storage,” Butler said. The planning is being led by The interim Australian Centre for Disease Control which says it is focused on ensuring Australia is prepared for any potential case of H5N1 avian influenza. Despite a lack of any evidence, politicians and bureaucrats spread claims that avian influenza outbreaks start on properties where the hens are outdoors. The reality is that most of the outbreaks in Australia started on intensive businesses with hens in cages or barns. Infections are often brought in by staff returning from overseas and working multiple shifts at different locations.Chickens on low-density free range farms are generally healthier than those kept in cages or locked in barns because they have sunlight and fresh air and are not overcrowded. There will be dire consequences if politicians panic and order all hens to be locked up. It will cut production and will result in a high level of mortality through cannibalism as free range birds have full beaks and are likely to attack other if they are closely confined in large numbers.

The 'Chicken or the Egg' Scientist says the egg came first

 The question about chickens and eggs which humans have been asking almost since time began, may have finally been answered by scientists who say they’ve discovered that the egg came first.

Humans have bred chickens for at least 10,000 years ago, but one expert has spoken about the existence of eggs as being much older. Luis Villazon is a science and technology educator who trained in zoology. He says "Eggs are much older than chickens. "Dinosaurs laid eggs, the fish that first crawled out of the sea laid eggs, and the weird articulated monsters that swam in the warm shallow seas of the Cambrian Period 500 million years ago also laid eggs.”while these aren’t chicken eggs, “the egg definitely came first", he said. Mr Villazon added that the chicken as we know it today was first bred as a result of the red jungle fowl of Southeast Asia being “hyrbridised” with grey jungle fowl.

“At some point in evolutionary history when there were no chickens, two birds that were almost-but-not-quite chickens mated and laid an egg that hatched into the first chicken." Mr Villazon concluded.

Sunshine great for humans - and chickens

 scientists  confirm that eggs from chickens wandering freely outdoors  contain higher levels of Vitamin D. Research in the US from 2014 shows  that hens spending most their time outdoors produce eggs with as much as three to six times more Vitamin D than eggs from barn or caged hens. Vitamin D3 is said to support bone strength and boost the body’s immunity levels. Other nutrient levels are also higher as a result of the more natural diet. The benefits include protein, vitamin B12, vitamin B2 iodine and selenium. You’ll also find vitamin A, calcium, phosphorous, folate, biotin, choline, thiamine and pantothenic acid inside the shells. They contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and little damaging cholesterol.

World Egg Day on Friday

 

World Egg Day is on Friday (Oct11). It is a global celebration of the highly nutritious and delicious egg! There is no other food that provides as many nutritional benefits as nature’s powerhouse.

Since starting in Vienna in 1996, World Egg Day has been celebrated in over 40 countries around the world on the second Friday in October every year.