THE HEALTH AND VITALITY OF OUR CHICKENS COMES FIRST
We rear our hens on the farm and strongly believe this is the greatest way to grow healthy birds and ensure you that Orchard Eggs® are of exceptional quality.
We chose to raise Lohmann Browns as they have a friendly nature and produce excellent quality eggs. Initially we keep them protected in a cozy tunnel. Once they are fully feathered and strong enough to withstand weather conditions (usually between 4 and 6 weeks), they go out to the moveable houses scattered throughout the orchard. During this early stage, they develop a strong immune system adequate for our ecosystem that prevents them catching diseases and keeps us totally free from the use of antibiotics.
As part of our high welfare standards policy, we raise our hens together with cockerels. As natural leaders, cockerels protect the hens at all times, recreating a natural flock, guiding them to the best food and stimulating a healthy behavior among them. We don’t have any problems of cannibalism and feather pecking that are so common in industrially run egg farms. We also protect the integrity of the birds by keeping them fully beaked, which allows them to source nutritional worms from the orchard.
All our feed is 100% organic and locally sourced from Perry Court Farm with whom we work closely. Through the years we have developed the perfect grain mix for our chickens and can assure you it contains no artificial enhancers or GMO products. It is mostly wheat (60%) and contains less than 5% of soya (Indian origine). Therefore, most people who are allergic to soya can eat our eggs.
WE TAKE ORGANICS TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL
At Orchard Eggs ® we believe that the excellent quality of our eggs and the vitality of our chickens depends on having a balanced and healthy Farm Organism. This concept is a basic principle of Biodynamic Agriculture, which is based on a method of organic farming developed by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s.
Following this principle, we aim to recreate a self-sufficient ecosystem by raising our chickens in the most natural conditions possible. The orchard is the perfect environment to rear birds where every part plays a role: trees provide shelter, the biodiversity of the land provides them food and in return the chickens provide manure to fertilize the soil, maximizing the productivity of the orchard. This creates a healthy, balanced and self-regulated ecosystem where the soil life is consistently improved.
We also use Biodynamic Preparations: plant and animal manure based preparations to promote soil life and vitality on the land. They are incredibly effective as they work not only with physical matter, but also with the forces of nature and manage to pass on the vitality of our land all the way through the food chain, making Orchard Eggs a source of vital energy that feeds your body and soul!
Our eggs are certified by the Biodynamic Association, Certification Number BDA634. For more information on Biodynamic Agriculture visit www.biodynamic.org.uk. We are also fully approved by Defra with certification number BG-ORG-06.