Real Eggs

At Real Eggs, sheep graze and shorten the pasture, making way for the chickens to rejuvenate and fertilise the paddocks. It’s a holistic system that connects farming with nature and its rhythms. 

Real Eggs founders and fourth-generation custodians of their farm in Yandoit, near Daylesford, Paul and Jacqui Righetti, acutely feel a responsibility to honour the soil, the open pastures, the land and its creatures. Real Eggs aims to be a collective of like-minded farmers who believe ‘open range’ farming should be the benchmark for free range egg farming. 

The Righetti’s work with only with one other small producer located in Port Fairy Victoria. This model will grow in accordance with strict compliance requirements. 

Their philosophy supports the idea that ‘open range’ farming should be the benchmark for free range egg farming. The Real Eggs hens roost in custom-made ‘campers’ which are moved every couple of days onto fresh pasture, providing shelter, water and access to extra grains which complement the chooks natural hunt for plentiful bugs and grubs. The stocking density is less than 8 chooks per hectare. 

The chickens arrive at the farm when they are 16 weeks old. Unlike other egg farms, Real Eggs chickens are not de-beaked, as this would prevent them from naturally foraging for bugs and worms which increases the nutrient density of the eggs and contributes to their rich coloured yolk. Over 2-3 weeks they learn about their new home - perching, where to lay, how to enter and exit their home and locate food and water. They also get to know the Maremma dogs and an Alpaca who patrol and live with the flock to protect them from predators such as foxes. Hay bales are positioned under the campers to help the chickens learn the entry points into the camper in order to lay. Chickens feed on the pastures, a mix of annual rye grass, native grass, phalaris, coxfoot and lucerne. 

Currently the flock numbers are 7,500 girls which produce 39,300 per week. This growth is due to both demand for the eggs as well as the positive impact it is having on the soils of our farm. 

The process used may be hands-on and labour intensive, but that’s more than okay! 

It affords greater care and control and creates a superior, highly ethical product in a way that has the Real Eggs hen’s welfare at its core. These are healthy eggs from the happiest hens you’d ever have the pleasure to meet. 

REAL FREE RANGE - OPEN PASTURES - FRESH GRASSES - ROAMING FREE

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