Free Range Eggs

Most of our eggs are sold through Waitrose, they are produced to the highest welfare standards in the industry. We have regular audits from Freedom Food (a branch of the RSPCA) and the BEIC (British Egg Industry Council) for the lion code (allows a lion stamp on the egg at the packhouse). As well as these, we are voluntary members of FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group), and LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), for more information on these see links.

The mobile hen houses on our farm were designed and built by us in 2002, 2005 and 2007. For more info on the houses click on the link Hen House. In the houses, the hens have feed and water 24 hours a day. There are nest boxes where the hens can lay their eggs, and our staff collect and pack them into '30 egg' trays . The trays are then palletised and taken to a cool store to wait collection by 'Stonegate', who grade and package the eggs for Waitrose.

The purpose built mobile sheds are in large grass fields, and the hens are free to roam from early in the morning until dusk, when we close the hen house up to prevent access by foxes. As well as being able to freely range outside in the grass, the houses have two under-cover scratch areas where the hens can dust bath and 'scratch' around doing the natural things hens like to do, whatever the weather outside.

We feed our hens on a ration that we produce on the farm, in our own Mill and Mix plant. The feed contains about 70% of wheat, oats and beans grown by us, then we purchase limestone (for the shells), soya (non GM) for protein, and minerals to produce the different rations the hens require. With so much of the feed produced on the farm, as well as milled on the farm, we are truly reducing the 'food miles' of the eggs we sell. We also sell at the farm gate, see Egg Stall.

Why do are eggs taste so good? -We have been working to balance our soils by adding minerals that are deficient so - like a blood test tells if you are OK by the chemicals and their quantities in the blood, so - the soil has nutrients that should be in the correct ratios and balance for plants to grow best, and the animals that eat them to be the healthiest and the tastiest. We believe it is this effort over the last 10 years to balance the minerals in the soils on our farm, that means the chickens have the best grass, wheat, oats and beans in their feed, which gives YOU the best tasting eggs! For more information see Soils.