Ingebra is a small farm in Burra , 20 minutes from Canberra and is no longer the home of a growing number of happy, thriving, free-range chickens. This is because we do not agree with current free range standards that do not conform with true free range making it an unfair market. We may in future resume on a small scale and still intend to leave this site up for reference purposes.
Charlie had carried on the tradition of egg farming from her mother who for many years sold organic and free-range eggs at the markets.
We had provided more than one acre per hundred hens and double the free range association's recommended square metre shed space. Although
production was on a miniscule scale we hoped
to get the word out about true free range.
Flock density and the space they have to move around directly effects the welfare of chickens and quality of egg.
Currently no regulatory free range standards exist in Australia but in Europe they have successfully implemented
standards for both intensive and non-intensive farming.
Most of the eggs were sold to Canberra cafes who pride themselves in using fresh and local produce. We use a fixed shed which opens out on both ends
to five acres of 24 hour access pasture and rotate areas accordingly.
Every eighty weeks there were RETIRED chickens for
sale and manure.
No pesticides were used in our paddocks and the hens were free to graze all day.
Apart from grazing, the chickens were fed a non meat meal pellet, vegetable scraps and fruit.
The chickens were protected from foxes with high 45degree angled fences and trees to offer shade plus chicken playgrounds for their interest.
Our mareema dogs were really no longer needed but dissuaded fox presence.
Young chickens were kept in smaller outdoor paddocks until they were old enough to venture further out.
A white mesh canopy was being used to protect them from wild bird attacks.
We collected the eggs each day from their straw nests and place them in recycled trays in a dark insulated room.They were then
delivered as early as on the day of lay and no more than one week from then.
We did not refrigerate or clean the eggs to avoid possible contamination and sweating. Only clean eggs were put in trays for sale and dirty ones were eaten by ourselves or the dogs.
©2008-2011 INGEBRA site design