Launched late 2018, the Egg Share scheme at Grange Village, Gloucestershire has gone from strength to strength with 10,000 eggs being sold through the initiative. The Egg Share scheme is run by community members from Grange Village and Oaklands Park.
Each day, the team feed and water the hens, checking that they are all happy and healthy. They collect the eggs and have developed a system of counting and recording the number of eggs produced each day. Each Tuesday, the farm team pack the eggs into boxes and deliver them to houses at Grange Village and Oaklands Park.
The flock of 50 hens roost under an old oak tree with plenty of room to scratch around and explore and fantastic views over the River Severn. The farm team at Grange Village rears a variety of breeds including Lohman Brown, Rhode Rocket, Blues, Barred Rock and Utility Light Sussex.
Kate Edwards, Care Farm Manager at Grange Village has plans to expand too; “Because we have been so successful with the eggs, we plan to start our own breeding programme in the Spring – we need to buy a rooster first. And then we can rear the layers from chicks to replace any losses.”
The incubation process will also provide an extra activity for the people we support and help them to understand the full life cycle. I love the endless debate of whether the chicken or the egg came first!
