Oliver's Hens
Laying with Oliver is every poultry girl’s dream.
With an expansive grassy playground and daily organic meals, it’s easy to see why Oliver’s girls love it so much - the free-range haven he’s created almost sounds like an all-inclusive retreat experience. Custom-built trailers house the hens at night, and a tailor-made capturing system gently catches the eggs in softened turf, cleans them and lightly rolls them onto a conveyor belt system for collection.
When they’re not laying or sleeping, the girls are outside enjoying their generous alfresco space. That translates to at least 4 square metres of fresh pasture per hen, compared to conventional free-range standards which only require a single square metre per hen. Add in multiple feeding areas and a mud bath, and we think we’ve found Hen Heaven.
Interestingly, bathing in mud allows the hens to get dirt on and between their feathers, preventing their feathers from sticking together while at deterring undesirables such as lice and mites.
The hens are relocated to fresh paddocks every two weeks, ensuring their diet includes nutrient-rich soil and associated delicacies such as worms, grubs and nourishing long grass.
A banquet style menu is on offer, with a calcium feeding zone for strong shells - producing a higher quality of egg and delivering a better laying experience for the chickens. Charcoal-infused organic feed provides digestive balance for the hens and allows for better transfer of nourishment back to the soil through excretion. While the organic feed comes in at more than double the cost of regular chicken-feed, Oliver is committed to the long-term health of the girls and considers this a more than worthy investment in their wellbeing.
Within each paddock, the trailers are moved every three days to ensure the ongoing health of the soil and the cleanliness of the laying environment, and this results in a surprisingly fragrance-free living space.
From the top-shelf organic fare through to their (relatively!) luxurious laying and sleeping conditions, these hens have got it pretty good. The result of the time, energy and care that Oliver puts into the wellbeing of his girls, is evident in the rich, bright and flavoursome eggs produced.
With up to double the omega 3 per egg than caged eggs, Oliver’s Hens are renowned for their delicious flavour and vibrant yolks. Laid on the farm and available for purchase footsteps away at Three Blue Ducks, these eggs couldn’t be fresher if they tried.
Served with love at local favourites such as Punch & Daisy, and Gaia Retreat, or available at the Byron markets where locals can acquire eggs directly from Oliver himself.
After 18 to 22 months of laying at Hen Heaven, these chickens move onto greener pastures and become residential laying hens in the local Shire. The quality of the eggs, and the health of Oliver’s Hens, are living examples of the immediate and long-term value created by a considered, sustainable approach to farming.
With a commitment to soil health and regenerative practices, Oliver’s paddocks are included in The Farm’s Carbon Sequestration movement designed to inspire and educate local farmers in sustainable farming practices.