Follow the Flock: Coping with the wet at Riverside

As Riverside Farm continue to overcome challenges from the weather and the wider egg supply chain, thoughts are turning to their replacement flock. Poultry World reports

For Linda Courtney and Ralph Eldridge, there is no doubt how this flock will be remembered – “the rainy ones”.

“The weather has been a huge challenge. It seems to have rained non-stop since the flock arrived on farm over 12 months ago,” says Linda Courtney. “The birds really don’t like to go outside when it’s pouring down with rain or freezing cold.”

The extended period of cold winter weather has also required great attention to detail and careful management, controlling the birds’ feed intake and encouraging use of the range.

But despite the challenges, at 63 weeks the flock is performing, producing a large egg with good shell quality and colour at 86% lay.

“A strong will to succeed and to ensure high standards of bird welfare has kept us motivated throughout the winter,” says Mrs Courtney. “Overall we are very happy with the flock’s progress – they remain strong and steady. Given the current issues around supply and demand, high feed costs and on-going volatility in the marketplace, having a steady and consistent flock of birds has been ideal.

“We are in a period where small mistakes on farm can result in significant costs for the business. It has felt like walking a bit of a tightrope, so I am thankful that this is a robust flock that has responded well to our management and consistently performed over and above their breed target.

“We have had to show resilience in the face of much adversity – and our birds have had to do the same – and therefore I feel very connected with this flock and I will be sad to see them go.”

Steve Clout from Humphrey Feeds has been working with the team at Riverside Farm, providing feed and offering on-farm advice.

“Close monitoring of the flock has been crucial. Early detection of any potential problems and then reacting quickly has been paramount to success. The colder weather and shorter day length has resulted in the birds spending less time on the range, which can result in increased aggression and stress, and in some cases a subsequent dip in performance.

“The diet currently being used on farm is designed to maintain performance while ensuring consistent egg weight and quality in this the final stages of the lay. Ensuring the flock has the required level of nutrition has been crucial to control feed intake during what has been a cold February and March. The birds have a tendency to eat more in the colder weather and this can lead to an unwanted increase in egg size.

“We continually strive for a good quality egg shell, but this is especially relevant in the final 20 weeks of lay, as shell quality can deteriorate. We are looking to maintain shell colour and quality for as long as possible to give the eggs optimum saleability.”

The future

With spring on the way, thoughts are turning to the future. “The key is ensuring continued success of the farm, both with the current crop, but also starting to prepare for the next flock,” says Mr Clout. “We will look at worm count in dropping samples, treating host birds in the current flock to stop a future worm burden building up on the range.”

Mrs Courtney and partner Ralph Eldridge are planning to extend their existing poultry shed, to increase the capacity of Riverside Farm to 10,000 birds, while adhering to EU stocking density regulations.

“The concrete has been laid and the plan was to finish the shed extension in time for our next flock, but that is now looking unlikely,” says Mrs Courtney. “The wet weather, an over-supplied market, plus a lack of any significant profit to re-invest has really set us back. We recently had a price increase of 7p/doz, which has helped offset higher feed costs, but is still not enough to cover substantial long term reinvestment. We will also want to ensure a secure outlet for the additional eggs we will produce from extending capacity.

“Business has been tough and profits limited. We continue to sell just over 10% of our total production direct to local outlets. A percentage of these are seconds which the packer doesn’t really want. It’s not a huge amount of business, but is enough to keep us going and stay positive about the future.”

New routes to market have therefore been a vital lifeline for Riverside Farm, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. “I enjoy working with local businesses, selling our eggs and adopting an independent approach. Our packer, Hoads Farm, have been excellent in affording us the flexibility to carry out a small percentage of private sales.”

The new flock

Riverside Farms’ next flock is in rear. Currently at two weeks old, the birds are being reared by Humphrey Pullets. “We are taking the same number of birds and the same breed as last time,” says Mrs Courtney. “We feel the current stocking density we have on farm works well for us, at just under maximum capacity. We are very happy with how the Lohmann birds have performed; they are a docile, well-tempered and robust bird that suit our farm set up.

“We know how crucial it is to give the flock a good start in rear. We are provided with regular rearing reports, detailing how the crop is progressing with information on bodyweights, vaccination programmes, diet and mortality. I will visit the birds with Steve at least once in rear and continue to monitor their progress with great interest, right up until we take delivery of the new flock.”

* Riverside Farm’s current flock will be depopulated at the end of May, with the new flock delivered at the end of June. Poultry World will be there for the final instalment of Follow the Flock.

Spring management advice

• Protect young birds from the influence of outside day length. This may involve blocking natural light from entering the house if the flock is in its early stages
  
• Monitor bodyweights, as young birds will be pushed into lay naturally by the outside climate
  
• Select the right level of nutrition to match the bird’s intake

Meet the Flockers

• The flock – 7,000 Lohmann Brown layers
  
• The farmers – Linda Courtney, and her partner Ralph Eldridge
  
• The farm – Riverside Farm, Heathfield, East Sussex
  
• On farm support and feed – Steve Clout, Humphrey Feeds
  
• Breed rep – Hazel Russel from Lohmann