Our 100 Highline Laying Hens

Since late last year we have been housing a hundred hens in a mobile chicken coop or ‘caravan’ - big thanks to Chicken Caravan for their ingenious design.  

The portable chicken coop has meant our hens can be moved around on a regular and rotational basis to ‘scratch around’ on pasture (and poop!) in different areas of the farm leaving behind generous amounts of free fertiliser to feed the soil micro biome / biology.

Because we don’t use any synthetic fertiliser inputs, nasty weed killers or insecticides to treat our pasture, the chooks are able to eat plenty of organic plant matter, market garden scraps, supplementary quality grain feed, and live protein in the form of slugs and insects at their leisure. 

Our hens also have the ability to roam freely to soak up the sunshine without the immediate threat of predators such as stoats and rats, with the security of a mobile coop and electric fence system.  

When hens get to spend time in the sun it has been shown that they lay eggs that contain significantly more vitamin D. In general pastured eggs have been shown to be richer in vitamins A and E, as well as omega-3s than conventionally raised eggs.

With a current nationwide egg shortage due to the implementation of the ban on battery cages hens, we have been stoked to continue supplying our local community with pasture raised eggs, which have been flying off the shelves at our daily refilled honesty fridge.

PLEASE NOTE: Currently there are more egg customers than there are eggs - so please don’t be surprised to see no eggs on the shelf! It’s first in, first served.

PRICE CHANGE: To match the increase in the price of grain, our price per dozen will go to $9.00 (from $7.50) as of next week Monday 23 Jan. 

Come out and visit the honesty fridge restocked daily at 108 Whitemans Valley Road, Upper Hutt.

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