I had the pleasure of visiting Lamond Poultry Farm in Charing Cross, Canterbury, to learn about where Eatlocal's fabulous free-range eggs start their journey on the way to your fresh produce box.
Lamond Poultry is run by Andy and Felicity Lamond who have an amazing set up with a high-tech grading system to ensure the consistent weight and size of every single egg. Each egg is passed through a light, a process called "candling", which highlights any impurities inside the egg that would be invisible otherwise.
Felicity and I walked out to the sheds, through the paddocks, accompanied by her two lovely dogs. I looked behind me and felt like the chicken equivalent of the Pied Piper, with a trail of hens following on behind.
There are approximately 15,000 laying hens on the farm, which covers about 20 hectares. plus a small flock of sheep and a goat that the girls get to hang out with when they are outside,
There was a gorgeous one-day old lamb too, with its very protective mamma stamping her hoof at me, warning me not to get any closer!
The hens were super-interested in the shiny buckle on my gum boots and pecked away at it whenever I stood still.
They were quite a vocal bunch, as you can hear! Apologies for the shocking sound quality! A windy day and all those hens... I really didn't stand a chance!
With huge thanks to Felicity Lamond for sharing her knowledge and educating me about her free-range poultry farm.
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