Isa Browns as backyard layers

 

Families who want a few hens to give them fresh eggs, first need to decide which hens to buy. Some heritage breeds look terrific but they may not be prolific layers – or they might have cranky temperaments which make them unsuitable around children. Choosing the right hens for your backyard can be a simple process once you have sorted out a suitable roaming area, coop and laying boxes.

ISA Brown hens have exceptional feed conversion and lay up to 300 eggs a year. The ISA Browns are docile, adapt well to different climates and are ideal as free range layers or for backyards where they make great pets as well as providing nutritious food for the family.

They are the hens we run at Freeranger Eggs and we often have some fully vaccinated hens available for backyarders. Give us a call to arrange pick-up.

Victoria loses control of COVID pandemic

 

The Victorian State Government has lost control of the Covid19 outbreak with record numbers of infections despite extreme lockdowns and a major jump in the vaccine rate. 1,143 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths were reported in the latest24 hours. The development may result in more calls to remove emergency powers from the Chif Health Officer - a bureaucrat and hand the decision-making responsibility to the Health Minister and Premier. After all it's politicians who are elected to make decisions - they are supposed to govern us, not the bureaucrats.

The results came from 62,883 tests and takes the total number of active cases in the state to 10,944. The figures seem to suggest that vaccines are not the silver bullet asserted by politicians and senior bureaucrats. It also seems likely that the infection is spread as a result of queuing at Covid testing sites and that lockdowns and compulsory vaccinations are not as effective as claimed. It seems that lockdowns and curfews are more damaging to people than the coronavirus.

Daylight Saving nonsense

 

It’s that time of year, time for the absurd ritual of Daylight Saving. Clocks in Victoria, New South Wales South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory will go forward one hour from 2am Sunday. The Governments of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have the sense to ignore the stupidity of Daylight Saving, particularly this year with all the disruption caused by Government panic lockdowns during the Covid19 pandemic.1220 new Covid cases in Victiria in last 24 hours despite big vaccine rollout.

Point of Point of Lay pullets available now

 We have pont of Lay Isa Brown pullets available for pick up at the farm at Grantville  this weekend. ISA Browns are ideal backyard hens.  Details here. https://www.freeranger.com.au/products.html .  200 pullets were delivered to us yesterday, and already two have started laying. The hens are ideal freerange birds and are suitable as pets and backyard egg layers.

NBN connection OK

 The farm is now back on line. An NBN technician arrived this morning, set up a new antenna and attached our existing modem, so we are now back to our usual email and internet activity. Just as well we no longer bother with social media because our Facebok contacts would have wondered where we had gone!

Moving on the same property. National Broadband Network complaint

 At Freeranger Eggs, we are in the process of moving from the main house on the farm to a smaller home towards the front of the property. This is causing total disruption to our telephone and internet services as we have to reorganise the NBN connection. This follows chaos caused by high winds which knocked out power here for a few days. That left us without any communications as the landline now relies on the internet connection and mobile towers were not functioning. The main advantage of the other house is that it is more compact and easier to heat. We have transferred our Stanley slow combustion stove to the new location.We have no idea how long it will take to get everything finalised - one  piece  of advice was to buy a Nighthawk2 modem to provide internet asnd phone services for both houses. Our ISP said that probably won't work and we need a second NBN connection,   But now NBN say they won't install a second connection on the property! Our ISP tells us thast we could revert to the old copperwire system We have lodged a complaint witrh the Minister for Communications. Paul Fletcher, and the Ombudsman. Since being contacted by the Ombudsman, our ISP, Swoop Broadband has got itself into gear and is talking to NBN.Hopefully the Minister will help because the Telecommunications Ombudsman isn't able to deal with complaints against NBN. We have bow contacted Telstra to see if they can help, An added complication is our adress. Some time ago, incompetent bureaucrats in Canberra decided that our address should be changed from Grantville to Glen Forbes . Chaos has ensued since then! Mail has gone missing and people using satellite navigation have got lost. 

Intensive egg production lobby

 Corporate egg producers are still trying to convince consumers that internsive production systems are good for hen welfare. Lobby group, Australian Eggs, is funding research aimed at countering views that confing chickens in sheds is detrimental for poultry. CCTV monitoring and artificial intelligence systems are being developed to track hen behaviour in sheds.

Researchers from the University of Technology, Sydney, a Victorian veterinary epiidemiologist and a Queensland Vet are developing the monitoring system which is expected to be ready by the end of this year.

Community research on egg industry demonstrates benefits ofpublic relations and advertising

 A community survey to explore the impacts of the egg industry was undertaken by CSIRO between April 27 and June 5, 2020. Funded by Australian Eggs, the research was part of a three-year program examining the relationship between the egg industry and the Australian community.

key findings from the 2019 survey are that trust in the egg industry and acceptance of it among the Australian public has improved. This is likely the product of improvements in how responsive the industry is perceived to be to community interest in sustainability issues, a belief that the industry is governed effectively and maintains strong standards, and retains very strong positive values. It demonstrated that an extensive advertising and public relations program can succeed in altering community views.

Animal welfare remained a priority issue for the egg industry, with a large proportion of participants feeling that egg farmers need to do more to improve poultry living conditions. While the public indicated they may be willing to pay more for eggs to ensure that health standards in egg production are strictly audited, they do not feel the same about paying extra to support egg farmers investing in higher welfare standards.

The 2019 findings also indicated shifting perceptions about the environmental aspects of sustainability in the egg industry. There was a substantial increase in the number of Australians who felt that egg farming was a good use of land, and lower in environmental impact than other industries. As global interest in environmental sustainability continues to rise, this feature of the egg industry may come to play an increasingly prominent role in its value proposition to Australians.

The 2019 community survey showed that Australians that hold critical views about the egg industry can change their perspective over time. The comparison of those people that completed the survey in 2018 and 2019 demonstrated that sentiment toward an industry can improve with industry action on its core challenges and the way that it engages the public in its work to be more sustainable.

Victoria's COVID lockdown chaos

 Frequent lockdowns by the Victorian Government have created massive problems for individuals and businesses of all types. The worst effects are felt by small enterprises such as Freeranger Eggs which had to cut production. We normally run four or five flocks of about 200 hens each, but are now reduced to just one flock.

Politicians and bureaucrats have no idea abourt the chaos their decisions create – they are insulated from everyday issues by their inflated salaries and employment packages.

Australian Eggs blocked from lobbying

 

The Federal Government has listened to egg farmers and turned down a push by industry marketing and research body Australian Eggs to allow it to broaden activities by taking on industry representation activities

Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud rejected the idea following results of an electronic poll of levy-paying egg producers to gauge opinions.

Vaccines for chickens, pigs and people

 Vaccines are creating news all over the world. Covid 19, Avian Influenza and African Swine Fever are all on the agendas of the world’s pharmaceutical companies. Ma Xiangjie, A senior executive from a major Chinese group said the use of illegal vaccines for African swine fever (ASF) reduced the output of pigs and eventually killed them. using  unapproved vaccines has been widespread as farmers tried to save their animals.

Facebook promoting Identity Theft

 

We are no longer able to maintain the Freeranger Eggs Facebook page because Facebook demanded we change our password and before approving a new password, required us to send an official photo ID document, such as a drivers licence. That is a clear identity theft issue.. We have tried to resolve the matter but there has been no response, however, we still receive emails from Facebook about notifactions made sin ce the last time we were able to log on.  Links to our Facebook page have been removed from this blog and from our website.

Scientists findings ways to boost production

 As chickens grow larger and produce more eggs, growth-related issues in laying hens and broilers have become more common. Researchers at the University of Georgia are finding ways to combat these issues, which can affect animal welfare and lead to production losses.

A recent journal article published in Poultry Science studied the effect of 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol, a naturally occurring bioactive compound, on satellite cell proliferation and differentiation of broilers and laying hens. Satellite cells are muscle-specific stem cells that are responsible for the post-hatch growth of skeletal muscles by increasing protein synthesis levels in muscle cells and resulting in muscle growth.

Led by Woo Kim and Yuguo Tompkins with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, in collaboration with Sandra Velleman, professor at The Ohio State University, the study examined the use of the compound to potentially improve both bone health and muscle growth. The study found that 20S has a positive effect on bone health in birds.

Help to set up freerange farms

 There is still strong demand for information about setting up a freerange farm.

Our eBook on how to establish a sustainable freerange farm is even more vital now the clear consumer demand for free range eggs has increased  the number of people thinking about starting their own free range egg businesses.

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

A good starting point is reading our eBook on starting a free range farm available on the Freeranger Eggs website

Detailed information is available on the Freeranger Club downloads page about things like shed requirements, food safety, egg packaging and labelling.

When deciding 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. Once that is sorted, talk to your Council Environmental Health Department about any specific requirements they have before you get underway.

Details:www.freeranger.com.au

Rescued Roosters

 

People can be very strange, but the more strange thing is that authorities listen to them. A rooster crowing at first light for example is a natural event, but if neighbours complain, Council’s often move in to kill the offending animal – even though those people may host loud late night parties and disturb weekends with noisy trailbikes. We received two pleas from residents of Bass Coast Shire asking if we would rehome roosters which Council said would have to go. One is a Cochin with feathery feet and the other is a Cream Legbar. We will certainly find places for these proud creatures.

Agriculture aims to be most trusted industry by 2030

 

The National Farmers Federation says it wants agriculture to be Australia’s most trusted industry by 2030. It is developing a national framework for building community trust although it acknowledges that the industry faces issues that may erode community trust and support. Some sectors, such as the egg industry already have a credibility problem with many examples of deceptive labelling in recent years which led to hefty fines following prosecutions by the ACCC. Many big producers make millions in extra profits each year by simply adding the words free range to labels . For them, fines are just a cost of doing business.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-25/egg-producer-snowdale-holdings-fined-over-free-range-claims/8741706

The NFF said Australian agriculture requires $159.5 billion in new capital to fund its growth ambitions. Traditionally, farm businesses have relied almost exclusively on debt financing for capital.

Freeranger Facebook posts reach over 4000 people in January

 

Freeranger Eggs Facebook page had 4,068 visitors in January, the highest monthly figure for some time. One of the most popular posts was about the importance of rodent control and the threats posed by mice and rats.

Rodents are a major concern on many poultry farms due to spreading diseases, damage and feed loss. This is a major reason for keeping hens in mobile houses which are usually easier to keep rodent-free. Unless steps are taken to prevent their presence, the house mouse (Mus musculus), and black rat (Rattus rattus) may become unwanted (and frequently unnoticed) guests. Sheds are attractive to these freeloaders because they provide a home, food, and water. Both rats and mice only need a hole large enough to pass their head through, as small as a quarter-inch for mice or a half-inch for rats. Once inside the house, they can easily burrow into poultry litter, under nests, into dirt floors, and into insulation in the walls and ceilings. This may go unnoticed, because rodents are active mainly at night when farmers often are not present. Rodents are seldom seen during the day until their numbers reach epidemic proportions. However, even a small population of rodents can cause significant problems that cost money. Possibly, the most obvious problem with rodents is the feed they consume and contaminate. All rodents will eat poultry feed, and they contaminate and ruin much more than they eat. An adult rat eats up to 10% of its bodyweight in feed each day, so a large rodent population may eat several tonnes of feed each year.

Rodent control is also needed in grading rooms and carton storage areas to limit contamination.

We no longer have a Facebook page.

Chickens on collectable cigarette cards

 

In days gone by, cigarette cards were all the rage. There are still avid collectors for cards on all sorts of subjects. One popular selection in the 1930’s and ‘40’s was poultry cards,from John Player and Sons, depicting a wide variety of chickens.

Intensive food production systems meet fluctuating consumer demand

Quantity over quality is the rationale behind intensive production techniques in the food industry, whether it's eggs. meat, grains or vegetables.

Balancing supply with demand has always been as issue for small egg producers like us – particularly in an area which is a holiday destination. A boom in demand as holidaymakers descend on the region, followed by a slump when they return home has been a natural cycle of business since we started producing eggs. But now, we have the added problem of fluctuating Government travel restrictions in response to the Covid19 pandemic. Big producers with coolrooms full of stockpiled eggs, are able to cope without missing a beat – just load up the trucks and send eggs off to the stupidmarkets.

However, selling quality, fresh eggs, is rather more challenging as we have no stockpiles to plunder when customers need extra supplies. Theres is no question that intensive egg producers are better able to supply fluctuating market demands compared with boutique egg farms meeting niche market requirements. 

Latest electric Tractor from the US

Monarch Tractors in the US has introduced an all electric tractor. It's not available in Australia yet but when it is I'd like to put it through its paces on the farm. In my days of editor of Power Farming magazine, we often had tractors and other farm machinery here for evaluation.Once manufacturers provide equipment for us to work with, we will undergo on-farm testing, set up a small farm equipment blog,YouTube channel and Facebook page to provide reports as well as sending details to traditional farm media outlets and publishing on our existing blog and facebook page.We will provide assessments on a wide range of machinery designed for small farms - so don't expect features on 800 hp tractors and other machinery aimed at broadacre farmers. The Monarch is able to operate with or without a driver, using autonomous technologies to offer driver-optional operations. It can perform pre-programmed tasks without a driver, or can follow a worker on the farm. Other manufacturers, such as John Deere have also come with electric models which we would like to assess along with a wide range of other farm machinery and equipment.