Australia
has
a national egg shortage because
slack management procedures on intensive egg production
facilities allowed
avian influenza to spread like wildfire, resulting in the culling of
more than a million egg laying hens. Many buyers have been unable to
get eggs from their usual sources, such as supermakets, so they turn
to small producers like us
without understanding that we can’t quickly ramp up production
just because they suddenly say they want our eggs. As with many free
range farms, our eggs are laid to order and we have no spare eggs at
the end of each day.
Maintaining
egg production on a free range farm is often challenging.Like many
real farms, we are affected by daily weather patterns and the
seasons.To consistently lay eggs, hens need about 14 hours
of daylight and 8 hours of darkness when they’re roosting. Once less
than 12 hours of daylight is available, egg productions slows down
considerably if not ceases completely. Some people think colder
weather causes the decrease in egg-laying, but even chickens in warm
climates produce fewer eggs once daylight hours decline. Big
producers maintain egg laying numbers by installing lights in sheds
to trick the hens into keeping on eating and laying eggs.
This issue is the reason for the development of intensive farming
systems. Big production and bigger profits was the reason for
companies changing to intensive farming with hens locked in
climate-controlled sheds.
Big
producers maintain egg laying numbers by installing lights in sheds
to trick the hens into keeping on eating and laying eggs. We prefer
to allow our hens to follow their normal rythmns of life.