Hen Welfare
Our standards and practices are based on the Farm Animal Welfare Council "five freedoms".
1. Freedom from hunger and thirst - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
2. Freedom from discomfort - by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.
5. Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring condition and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
Natural behaviours for laying hens requires the ability to roam widely in search of insects, dust bathe, wing flap and socialise with other hens. Because our hens are not mutilated in any way they are able to follow their natural instincts.
The free range system incorporates natural poultry keeping methods. It is land based to ensure that the hens are happy, healthy and free and limited stocking density per acre is to provide both land and environmental sustainability.
FRFA members exceed the standards of the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Domestic Poultry. A copy of the Code can be downloaded here.
To see what real free range egg farming is like, check out this video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr0FVtIBTnw&context=C36e3f1bADOEgsToPDskJVGkxTOQNKvwzXhExwJS0f
1. Freedom from hunger and thirst - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
2. Freedom from discomfort - by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.
5. Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring condition and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
Natural behaviours for laying hens requires the ability to roam widely in search of insects, dust bathe, wing flap and socialise with other hens. Because our hens are not mutilated in any way they are able to follow their natural instincts.
The free range system incorporates natural poultry keeping methods. It is land based to ensure that the hens are happy, healthy and free and limited stocking density per acre is to provide both land and environmental sustainability.
FRFA members exceed the standards of the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Domestic Poultry. A copy of the Code can be downloaded here.
To see what real free range egg farming is like, check out this video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr0FVtIBTnw&context=C36e3f1bADOEgsToPDskJVGkxTOQNKvwzXhExwJS0f
 These chickens have been severely beak-trimmed. This picture is from the website of a 'free range' farm that was accredited by the Australian Egg Corporation. | Overstocking is the biggest problem in the egg industryProbably more than 90% of the eggs sold in Australa as 'free range' do not meet the standards expected by consumers. Research has shown that buyers believe the hens are not de-beaked or beak trimmed and the hens roam on pasture all day. But unfortunately that is not the reality on most egg farms. Nearly all chicks are beak trimmed at hatcheries and many farms have stocking densities well above the limit of 1500 hens per hectare set by the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Domestic Poultry.
FRFA member farms have a stocking density limit of 750 birds per Ha. |
Hot blade beak trimming is still used in Australia on many chicks to control feather pecking and cannibalism caused by overcrowding.
Infra red beak trimming - more humane?
This is how chicks are beaked-trimmed in modern hatcheries. The day-old birds are placed in a carousel and the tips of the beaks are automatically removed.
The process is probably more humane that the hot blade system pictured above which is still used in Australia - but it is a completely unnecessary process for birds which are supposed to be 'free range'.
Many of the chickens bred for the egg industry have aggressive tendancies, because the only attributes which matter to industrial-scale egg producers is the number of eggs each birds lays and the minimal consumption of feed.
Other breeds are available which are far less aggressive - but which probably don't lay quite as many eggs.
The Model Code of Practice for the Wefare of Animals - Domestic Poultry specifies that beak trimming should be a last resort and that careful bird selection and animal husbandry methods should be implemented to control cannibalism. But the Australian Egg Corporation allows beak trimming as a standard option for farms which it accredits as 'free range' even when those farms have tried no other methods to combat the problem.
The fundamental issue is the question of stocking density. The AECL acknowledges that some 'free range' farms run 40,000 chickens per hectare, even though the Model Code suggests an upper limit of 1500 birds. At densities of 40,000 or even 10,000 birds per hectare, de-beaking or beak trimming would almost certainly be required because the hens are simply overcrowded and resort to pecking each other - it's the same reason that hens in cages are debeaked.
The process is probably more humane that the hot blade system pictured above which is still used in Australia - but it is a completely unnecessary process for birds which are supposed to be 'free range'.
Many of the chickens bred for the egg industry have aggressive tendancies, because the only attributes which matter to industrial-scale egg producers is the number of eggs each birds lays and the minimal consumption of feed.
Other breeds are available which are far less aggressive - but which probably don't lay quite as many eggs.
The Model Code of Practice for the Wefare of Animals - Domestic Poultry specifies that beak trimming should be a last resort and that careful bird selection and animal husbandry methods should be implemented to control cannibalism. But the Australian Egg Corporation allows beak trimming as a standard option for farms which it accredits as 'free range' even when those farms have tried no other methods to combat the problem.
The fundamental issue is the question of stocking density. The AECL acknowledges that some 'free range' farms run 40,000 chickens per hectare, even though the Model Code suggests an upper limit of 1500 birds. At densities of 40,000 or even 10,000 birds per hectare, de-beaking or beak trimming would almost certainly be required because the hens are simply overcrowded and resort to pecking each other - it's the same reason that hens in cages are debeaked.
How can a beak trimmed bird eat properly?
The diagram on the left demonstrates the difficulty a chicken has in eating when part of her beak has been removed. (a and b depict a beak trimmed bird and c and d show a bird with a full beak). The beak trimmed bird can only eat feed from a trough and cannot graze properly as can birds with full beaks.
The industry doesn't like the term 'de-beaked' preferring the more cuddly sound of 'beak trimmed', as if its like trimming your hair or clipping your fingernails.
The Australian Egg Corporation has claimed that no birds in Australia are de-beaked and that hot blades are no longer used. It says that all birds are now 'trimmed' with infra red equipment. The AECL can produce no evidence to back up that claim and it is widely known (even by the Egg Corporation) that hot blades are still used in Australia and there is ample evidence of severe beak trimming.
The industry doesn't like the term 'de-beaked' preferring the more cuddly sound of 'beak trimmed', as if its like trimming your hair or clipping your fingernails.
The Australian Egg Corporation has claimed that no birds in Australia are de-beaked and that hot blades are no longer used. It says that all birds are now 'trimmed' with infra red equipment. The AECL can produce no evidence to back up that claim and it is widely known (even by the Egg Corporation) that hot blades are still used in Australia and there is ample evidence of severe beak trimming.
