Welfare

Good for hens

Purely Organic hens lead the best, healthiest life possible. They live in far smaller flocks and as a result have more space to explore and peck, snacking on what nature provides as well as enjoying all-natural, non GM food.

A hen’s day

Hens on organic farms are more in touch with the rhythms of nature than intensively farmed birds. They are woken by the sunrise, not artificial light. They’ll eat their breakfast, drink some water and then lay their daily egg. While they sleep, the shell forms, and by the time they get up in the morning, it’s ready to lay.

Once they’ve laid their egg, the hens spend the rest of the day exploring the acres of space they’re surrounded by. They’ll forage for organically grown snacks provided by the thoughtful planting on the farm.

Room to roam

Because organic hens live in smaller flocks, they’re more likely to use the land around their barn for foraging and other adventures. Put simply, they don’t have to shoulder through a crowd to get outside, like a busy train station at rush hour. It’s an easy stroll to fresh air and natural pasture, where they can amble all day if they please, and peck to their heart's content.

A hen’s natural home

Farms certified to sell organic eggs also plant fruit trees and wildflower meadows which encourage their hens to go out more. Being surrounded by trees and plants helps the birds to feel safe. Their surroundings also give hens the confidence to exhibit their natural foraging behaviour, pecking the farmland rather than each other.

No cruel intervention

That brings us onto the issue of beaks. Organic chickens’ beaks are never trimmed. On organic farms where the birds have much more freedom, and can peck, so there’s no need.

What do they eat?

Everything an organic hen eats must be certified organic too. They eat a non GM mixture milled by producers who’ve been through a rigorous approval process. That makes sure they don’t use anything artificial or nasty in their food.

No unnecessary medication

Birds who live this way are not routinely given antibiotics, as they are in other forms of farming; and are kept in far smaller flocks. This gives them more freedom to live a happier, less stressful life. All this means they’re less likely to suffer from illness generally. Organic farmers do not deny them medicine they need, though. Everything is done under the expert supervision of a vet.