Top accolade for dairyman who opted for free range
hens
Dairy herd
manager Terry Grandfield has found winning ways with eggs. The
Terry, a
relative newcomer to the egg business, started his free-range organic flock at Plymtree,
Competition
judges said that Terry had all the qualities necessary to be a first rate
quality food producer. His exceptional levels of stockmanship
and commitment were evident throughout his enterprise and his zest, enthusiasm
and confidence in the business were exceptional. He is also not afraid to
invest. The business uses some of the most up to date egg collection equipment
and store facilities. Terry also employs a dedicated part-time stockman/egg
collector to take care of the daily routine
Terry
started his flock with one shed and 3000 birds. “It was something we could do
to make use of 42 acres that I have,” he explains. But he soon found a penchant
for hens and increased numbers to 6000 birds last year. Plans are now underway
for a third shed, which he hopes to introduce in Spring
2007.
Although the
planned expansion is a huge commitment, Terry says he will continue to manage
the cows. “Dairying is my full time job and that gives me an income that I can
use with my flock,” he explains. But his
biggest investment has been in the field environment. Terry’s
stock skills and acute understanding of ‘hen preferences’ have enabled him to
create rich and varied surroundings for his birds. The hens live in two
sheds and are free to roam open fields, browse in hedges and climb stone walls.
“When I planned the site I tried to think about what the hens would like,
rather than just putting them into a shed on a bare field and expecting them to
do well,” Terry explains.
He has also
applied ‘herdsman’s logic’ to managing his flock and it’s proved successful.
For example, he uses a paddock system and rotates the hens to prevent the land
from becoming poached or over used. He has planted orchards around each shed,
to offer shelter and a haven from predators, and constructed stone walls that
provide the hens with a solid wind break and a dry loafing area, particularly
in winter when the ground can be quite wet. “We are on clay-loam soil and
although it has grass cover it can become boggy. The walled areas give the
birds an alternative and they do use it,” he adds. As he says, it’s common sense that if the birds are comfortable and feel
safe they will do better,” he adds.
Health is
also a priority, especially as this is an organic flock. The low stocking rate
of six hens per sq. metre helps to minimise stress and reduce disease
challenges. Terry also says that being a fairly young site helps health status,
too.
He believes
that his high-welfare, enriched environment production system benefits
productivity and consumer demand. And, it is a principle that the BFREPA has
endorsed. The association recognises Terry’s production standards as some of
the best and is encouraging other producers to adopt similar techniques.
However,
health and the environment are only part of this winning formula. Nutrition
plays a major role in his business’s success. Feeding an organic flock properly
requires nutritional expertise and quality diets so Terry has used Humphrey
Feeds’ organic feeds since the beginning.
Colin
Gravatt, Poultry Specialist with Humphrey Feeds helped to set up the enterprise
with Terry, and he still has a close working relationship with Terry. “We
follow Humphrey Feeds’ phase feeding regime, which aims to optimise body weight
and bring the birds into lay as soon as possible. We regularly review body and egg
weights and make nutritional adjustments that optimise performance for the rest
of the flock’s life,” he said. `This
attention to detail played a significant part in helping Terry’s flock of Lohmann Brown achieve such impressive performance: 321.6
eggs per bird at 72 weeks, with just 0.9% mortality!’
On housing,
the pullets are fed a good diet designed to develop their bodyweight to at
least breed targets, ready for when they commence laying. Once laying, the
birds are fed a high protein feed to maximise egg size and productivity. Once target
egg production has been established, the hens are gradually introduced to lower
specification layer diets specifically formulated for organic flocks to optimise
production. Target performance is a 65g to 68g egg produced every day for 320
days a year.
“Production can
dip a little in the winter, but we light the shed with daylight bulbs so that the
hens can receive an average of 16 hours of light a day. I do this to maintain
productivity, and help my cash flow,” explains Terry. “The technique is
commonly used in free-range flocks and the hens seem to benefit!”