Collecting freshly-laid eggs is one of the great joys of country life, and whilst this daily ritual has become somewhat larger-scale for Robyn and Lindsay Cousins lately it’s clearly no less satisfying. In the last two years their backyard chook-run has hatched into a fully-fledged egg production business diversifying income from their broad-acre farm in Watheroo.
With the last of their four children off at boarding school, Lindsay suggested that Robyn ‘do eggs’ in her spare time (between driving the tractor and helping him with sheep-work). The experiment began with 50 pullets and a garden shed on wheels which they dragged around a stubbled paddock.
With solid demand for her brand, Manavi eggs, from both local supermarkets in Moora, Robyn has since expanded her flock to nearly 1000 birds and has an upcoming contract to supply an additional 5 Perth supermarkets.
The laying hens are housed in converted sea-containers in the style of a ‘chicken tractor’. Each container is home to approximately 300 birds with nest boxes and perches inside. Robyn and Lindsay built the mobile chicken-trailers themselves, but purchased an egg-collection system which makes collection quicker and keeps the eggs clean.
The concept behind the chicken tractor is to allow chickens to truly range freely – foraging for grass, seeds, weeds and bugs over a large area, naturally fertilising and turning the soil as they go. The birds roost in their trailer at night where they are protected from the elements and predators such as foxes. When their job is done, the chicken tractor is moved a little farther down the track, opening up a new area of potential food sources.
This is true free-range ‘pastured’ egg farming. And it’s not common. ‘Free-range’ eggs bought for a premium in supermarkets are from chickens raised in a wide variety of standards. The Model Code of Practice dictates a maximum of 1500 hens per hectare to use the ‘free range’ label. But many brands keep as many as 10,000 chooks per hectare, and they may be simply allowed an outside area of dirt or even concrete – where there’s no benefit from foraging in the natural environment. The key is choosing ‘pastured’ if you want to make an ethical purchase.
Needing little more than a bucket of grain a day and making use of a resting paddock the chicken tractor may just be the ideal agribusiness add-on – a great way to make a bit more out of your land and avoid putting all your eggs in one basket – so to speak.
Even though there are a lot more egg cartons to fill now, loading them with healthy, freshly laid eggs whilst hens cluck busily underfoot is still an enjoyable part of the day for Robyn. “I’m still not quite sure why we’re doing this,” she smiles, “ but it feels good to be able to produce something ethically and carefully – I care about the birds and I’m proud of my product.”
Look for Manavi eggs in your local shop and like them on facebook to find out more. If you want to be sure the eggs are from Robyn’s farm, check they’re stamped with a set of cute chicken footprints – instead of a serial number. It’s a fitting sign of their unique, genuinely good, free-range origins.
