Our chicken population varies but we usually have between 12,000 and 16,000.

Some hens lay more than others, but averaged out through their laying life here on the farm, each hen will lay approximately .75 to .85 of an egg a day – so about 5 to 6 eggs a week. 

Overall this equates to an average of around 12,000 eggs per day!

Firstly, if you are an organic egg producer then you are also free range by definition. At Rookery Farm, we also maintain rigorous organic certification standards that go beyond traditional free-range requirements. These comprehensive guidelines ensure the highest level of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Read more about the key principles that define our organic approach below.

In organic systems the hens have more space in their sheds and bigger areas to range outside. In the sheds each organic hen has 50% more space and the minimum range size is 1 hectare per thousand birds, whereas for standard free range the minimum range size is 0.5 of a hectare per thousand birds.

There are no artificial fertilisers, herbicides, or insecticides used on the fields or in the sheds in organic systems, and there are no antibiotic treatments administered to the hens. Organic hens do however still have all their vaccinations when they are being reared (from day old to 16 weeks), so they are fully vaccinated for Salmonella and other potential diseases.

The feed that organic hens have available to them in the sheds is all grown organically and is all GM free. There are no artificial yolk colourants used, hence why organic yolks are yellow as opposed to orange.

In organic systems the range areas for the hens have to be rested between flocks. Here at Rookery Farm we use all mobile sheds so each new flock will start out on a completely fresh area of pasture.

Organic free range farms are audited yearly by one of the recognised organic bodies (Organic Farmers and Growers or the Soil Association for example) to check they are complying with all the rules.

The best before date is 28 days from the date the eggs are laid, which is standard for the UK.

In our opinion it is a slightly arbitrary time period, but it is supposed to indicate the time the eggs will maintain grade A quality if stored sensibly.

Our hens are fed a balanced diet to provide all the nutrients they need.

Sourced from a registered organic feed mill, the main ingredients are wheat, sunflower, peas, soya, full fat soya, maize, maize gluten, alfalfa and limestone – all organic and GM free.

The main breeds are hybrids: Columbian Blacktails, Lohman Browns and Goldlines

Columbian Blacktails are a cross between Light Sussex and Rhode Island Reds, and other breeds such as Black Rock. Lohman Browns are a hybrid of Rhode Island Reds.  Goldlines are a cross between Light Sussex and Rhode Island Reds

Each and every egg is weighed and, depending on which band it falls into, it is classified as Extra Large, Large, Medium or Small. The current Lion Code bands are:

X Large above 73g  Large 63-73g  Medium 53-63g  Small 53g and under.

Younger hens tend to lay darker brown eggs. As the hens get older, the colour of their eggs tend to become more varied.

There is evidence to suggest that the hens’ exposure to the sun’s ultra violet light can cause the shells to become paler. However, there is no difference in taste or nutritional value between light and dark eggs

Pure white eggs come from different breeds of chicken like the White Leghorn and are much more common in the USA.

‘Mis-shapes’ is just our own generic term for any egg that can’t be packed as a Class A egg

This can be for a number of reasons. Some egg shells are a bit tarnished or dirty, or simply an odd or unusual shape – maybe they are bumpy or rather thin. However, there is no difference in taste or nutritional value between any of these and Class A eggs

They are very popular at our Farm Counter and at the London Farmers’ Markets, because they are both great fun and great value. The thinner shelled ones are not suitable for boiling as they may crack in a pan of boiling water, but are fine for scrambling, frying, poaching or making cakes.

Our customers have many different names for them at the London Farmers’ Markets including ‘uglies’, ‘seconds’ and ‘difficult childhoods’.

Every Class A egg sold in the UK from flocks of more than 50 hens requires a unique farm ID number.

Our eggs start with a ‘0’ denoting organic and free range, followed by ‘UK’ as the country of origin and then by a 5-digit unique code that traces back to the farm.

The first number on an egg represents the following:

0 Organic and Free Range  1 Free Range only  2 Barn  3 Caged

If an egg is classified as organic it will also be free range – organic criteria require hens to be free range.

The map shows all the locations that we deliver to directly from the farm. However, several times a week we also deliver our eggs to a couple of trusted wholesalers that we work with to expand the availability of eggs to areas that we just can’t get to ourselves

Laid in Britain – a fully certified quality assurance scheme that encompasses a thorough testing and monitoring programme to maintain the health and welfare of laying flocks and guarantee the best quality eggs to the end user.

The scheme monitors vaccination against salmonella, biosecurity measures and adherence to HACCP rules, ensuring compliance in the rearing, laying and packing areas of all Laid in Britain approved production units. Members are independently audited and certified annually.

Organic Farmers & Growers – the primary UK organic certification body who audit our farm and hens annually to ensure we meet the high standards they require and that we comply with all EU and British Organic standards.

Animal Health Department of DEFRA – a government body that makes unannounced audits on us periodically to check we comply with UK and EU free range standards, placing particular emphasis on egg quality and grading procedures.

County Council Trading Standards – we periodically have visits from the West Sussex County Council Trading Standard Service who check on egg labelling, packaging etc.

Local Council Services Department – we are also visited by Arun District Council Services Department with regard to our due diligance procedures for egg handling and grading.

On most commercial laying farms the hens will be kept until 72 weeks of age and then sent for slaughter.

They are used for pet food and soups amongst other things. The reason they are not kept longer is because by this stage there are far too many eggs that are not grade A (predominantly due to weak shells), which means it is not commercially viable to keep them any longer.

We generally keep our hens much longer than 72 weeks, partly because we still do the collecting and packing by hand, and when we do need to move the hens on, we work with the following charities to re-home them : Chicken Rescue UK, Fresh Start and occasionally the British Hen Welfare Trust.

If they cannot be re-homed, then we do have to send them for slaughter but it is a last resort for us.

Rookery Specials are laid by more traditional breeds which lay different coloured eggs.

Find out more about them below.