Hi Everyone
We are new to this site and are looking forward to receiving lots of great info from all the like minded folks on this site.
My first post here is to ask if anyone has ever set up a freerange egg supply bussiness and if so did you go through the whole compliance senario with MPI? or did you just flying under the radar?
Your thoughts and experiences would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Ron
I think you can avoid MPI regulations if you keep less than 100 hens. You can sell at roadside or similar, however go over 100 and you will be required to comply with the act and have all the necessary paperwork and inspections etc.
Over 100 hens also will require council permits.
Now I could be wrong on all of this, it's been a while since I read the regulations.
Did you know, that what you thought I said, was not what I meant :S
Sue
Labrador lover for yonks, breeder of pedigree Murray Grey cattle for almost as long, and passionate poultry person for more years than I care to count.
What are you going to do with the carcases of the birds that are too old to produce well? Some commercial free range businesses have their nesting houses able to be sealed so that the chickens can be gassed while they are asleep, and then bulldozed out to be composted.
Yuck, but it has to be thought of .
Belle Bosse wrote: What ever you choose to do, just make sure your planned hen's free ranging area is DOG PROOF..!
We've just lost our 3 heritage hens that free ranged our orchard and farm area to dog attack... no fun for all involved.
It really depends on the dogs around you and their owners in my experience, my chickens have been unfenced and wide-ranging for three years or so.
The neighbour's here have dogs that are well kept and trained, and rarely ever wander. When there were two with the north neighbour, they would sometimes wander down the road and never bothered the chickens despite ranging onto this proeprty, and the chickens ranged from the orchard at the back of the property, out onto the road at the front. The south neighbour has six or so, and only one has ever come to visit/gotten loose, and it just wandered around and ignored the chickens as well.
My dog wanders through my hens with no problems at all. A friend visited with her springer spaniel and the dog went berserk, barking and chasing. If we hadn't been in the garden at the time the chooks would have been goners. You can' t bank on other dogs being controlled or well trained.
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