With a desire to become a farmer, Bruce Greig, after gaining valuable experience on a local farm, initially set off from his hometown of South Africa to work on an overseas dairy farm. After leaving his hometown of Johannesburg, Bruce traveled many miles and finally came to New Zealand in 1999, working and teaching on a dairy farm, and then found a niche in the market to sell free-range eggs from hens from the ranch. Now, his business Thulani Free Range Pastured Eggs is performing well, partly because of the surge in consumer demand for fresh eggs during the coronavirus era, and because of the high quality of Bruce's eggs.

"I bought this farm in 2006, and the company is called Thulani Free Range Pastured Eggs," Bruce said. "Thulani means peace and tranquility in the Zulu language. This is a small farm on the banks of the Halswell River, overlooking Canterbury’s Port Mountain. Our eggs are truly free range eggs produced on local ranches. The hens can last. And enter the pasture permanently, get a balanced diet, and be raised in small groups so that they can express their natural behavior," he explained.

Bruce was encouraged by another egg producer to start a poultry business, and soon saw the opportunity for his unique eggs in the market. He commented: “I started a small-scale investment with limited funds and saw market opportunities.” “Currently we have 1,300 hens and produce 660 eggs per day. Our average egg production rate is about 85%, every year. Produce more than 340,000 eggs."

Collecting eggs can be a daunting task because they are collected by hand and washed by hand every day, although Bruce is considering some new techniques to help him. "Of course, we have to pay attention to our costs, but I'm considering investing in artificial lights on timers, upgrading feeding and drinking equipment, and installing egg washers," Bruce said. "A machine for washing eggs will save us a lot of time."

Bruce uses Brown Shaver and Hyline chickens on his farm to produce more ideal brown eggs that customers want. "It's a matter of choice. Customers prefer brown eggs on the breakfast table," he said. "Our eggs are of high quality because the hens can enter the green pasture permanently. I also use concentrated feed from the local Feedco factory in Lincoln.

A past study conducted by researchers from Pennsylvania State University’s School of Agricultural Sciences showed that eggs laid by chickens allowed to forage on pastures contained higher levels of beneficial nutrients. Researchers studied how the transfer of grazing hens to legumes or mixed grasses affects the concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A and E in eggs. The study also compared the eggs of grazing hens with those of commercial diet-fed hens.

Lead researcher and associate professor of crop production ecology Heather Karsten (Heather Karsten) said the difference is very significant. "Compared with commercial hen eggs, pasture hen eggs contain twice as much vitamin E and long-chain omega-3 fats, which are more than twice the total omega-3 fatty acids, while the proportion of omega-6 is less than half. omega-3 fatty acids. The vitamin A concentration in grazing eggs is 38% higher than in commercial eggs, but there is no difference in total vitamin A per egg," she added.

Bruce has many egg sales points, but in the Covid-19 era, with the implementation of the lockdown regulations and the forced closure of some sales points, these sales points have changed a lot. “Our eggs are usually sold to individual families through farmers’ markets, retail stores, bakeries, butcher shops, food service outlets (such as coffee shops) and online,” Bruce explained. "The price of eggs ranged from 5.00-8.00 New Zealand dollars (3.5-5.5 US dollars) per dozen. When the lockdown began in New Zealand, I lost all hospitality, food service, retail and farmers’ market outlets, which accounted for about my business. 90%."

Bruce immediately switched to online sales through his Facebook page. He reported: “My loyal farmers’ market customers registered immediately, and as a result I was sold out most of the time in the lockdown.”

With the inflow of orders, I was able to make contactless delivery to customers. Fortunately, farmers are considered essential workers who can travel and deliver during the pandemic. During the lockdown, my business actually grew, and my income also increased. "

Maintaining a healthy flock is essential to the success of Bruce's business and ensuring that he runs a plan to keep the flock healthy. "By raising chicken flocks, birds have a better chance of staying healthy," Bruce said. "There is a price to provide outdoor access. Eagles are the main carnivore in New Zealand and are a protected species. Eagle attacks account for 50% of the mortality of our flocks." In other words, one of the biggest advantages of Bruce mobile systems, except In addition to high-quality and delicious eggs, the land is fertile. "Because the house is mobile and there is no floor, the feces fall directly on the grass," Bruce pointed out. "Houses are relocated regularly, which means the land is fertile. It also means I don't need to clean the house!"

By Natalie Berkhout on July 30 in Meat

Author: Vladislav Vorotnikov July 29 in Meat

Author: Natalie Berkhout June 2 in Nutrition

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