Frequently asked questions ......
How can I get your eggs and how much are they? Our eggs are £3.50 a dozen which compares vary favourably with other premium free range eggs. I deliver my eggs on a Thursday to Edgware and also to Hendon if enough demand. If you can collect eggs from me at home in Edgware, then it's £3.00 per dozen. If you need eggs at any other time just give me a call and you can collect from our home in Edgware.
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Why are your eggs more expensive than the cage reared eggs that I usually buy? The cage reared birds have short and hard lives. They are packed into tiny cages with no freedom. Typical battery units house thousands of birds with 24 hour lighting to ensure they lay more eggs. This type of intensive farming means that the eggs can be produced cheaply. We at Happylands believe that hens should have as natural a life as as possible. We are a small family operation and as we don't have thousands of hens packed into cages we cannot produce eggs at this level of discount. Our eggs are super fresh, from happy hens and taste amazing.
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Will there be bloodspots? Very rarely - we have no cockerels and so the eggs are not fertilised.
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Why are my eggs different sizes? Young hens when they first start laying at around 20 weeks, start off laying small eggs and then progress to a standard size as they mature. Once hens are around a year old they lay much larger eggs. Our older girls lay supersized eggs and if you are very lucky you might get a double yolker!
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What do you feed your hens with? Our hens are fed layers pellets - which is a mixture of grains, seeds and other minerals designed to keep the hens well fed and healthy. The hens additionally eat grass, forage for seeds and the odd bug or fly.
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Where do you get your hens from? Some of our hens come from a lady called Kirsty. www.hens4homes.co.uk. Kirsty supplies me with vaccinated hens at "point of lay", generally around 17 weeks old and about to start laying. I don't currently have the time to hatch and bring on my own stock although it is something I may consider in the future. My current batch are coming from Piggotts Poultry in Bedford as he can supply larger numbers for my bigger operation. They have very high standards of husbandry and the hens are also vaccinated.
Why do you sometimes have low stocks in the winter months? Hens lay less when it is cold and wet and dark. They're happiest when it is hot and sunny - aren't we all?! In the winter we keep lights on in their housing unit to extend daylight by a few hours and then the lights dim. In the dark winter mornings the lights slowly come on again to extend the day a little. We hope to be able to carry on with supplies throughout the winter but if weather conditions are very wet or cold then the hens can go on strike!
Are your eggs organic? No, we have some reservations about using organic feed as it often involves a lot more food miles and so is generally not so environmentally friendly as you might imagine. It would also significantly increase the price of my eggs. However, we are very careful about not using chemicals on the pastures where the hens graze and we try to treat any problems that might arise with the hens as naturally as possible.
Can we come and see you? Yes, by prior arrangement. Don't just turn up as it would be a shame if you came over and found no one there and the gates locked. We hope to have an open day this summer so keep an eye on the site and we will put details up soon.