The Happy Egg Company – Profiling the UK’s Largest Free Range Egg Brand
June 27, 2014The Happy Egg Company is all about the welfare of their hens. Their number one concern is creating an environment in which their birds can live out happy natural lives, and through this, produce quality eggs in an ethical way. According to the company’s owner, Noble Foods, Happy Egg farms go far beyond RSPCA Freedom Food standards, and are regularly visited by a team of expert fieldsmen to ensure farmers are provided with the latest techniques and advice. All this makes for a healthier egg in your morning breakfast when you shop for high-quality free-range eggs.
Focusing on What’s Best for the Hens
Because welfare is a primary concern, the way The Happy Egg Company operates is centered on what’s best for their hens. This means using only the best farmers and land. Farmers are chosen on the basis of their dedication to welfare and quality, and must be available twenty-four hours a day to respond to anything the hens might need. The Happy Egg Farms themselves need to meet a number of criteria, including being big enough to allow the birds to roam freely across acres of differing habitats. At least ten percent of each farm must be made up of wooded or forested areas, and farmers are encouraged to create areas of wild undergrowth. This means the birds are able to explore, forage and behave in ways natural to them.
Going to Great Lengths
Noble Foods and Happy Eggs go to great lengths to ensure their farms are set up to allow their hens to express a full range of natural behavior. Using research conducted at the University of Bristol, which found that domesticated hens are in some ways more intelligent that human toddlers, the company devised Activity Kits to stimulate the birds. These are placed at points throughout the ranges and encourage them to interact, perch, peck, shelter and group socially. Specially designed dust baths are also provided for Happy Egg hens to clean themselves. As they naturally like to roll in dust and sand to clean their feathers, the company leaves them to take care of themselves, reducing stress and increasing welfare.
The result of Happy Egg’s approach to farming is nutritious, delicious, and versatile eggs. Private, indoor nesting boxes allow the hens to lay eggs whenever they feel like it, so they’re in no way stressed or nervous during this important stage of the farming process. As can be seen from Happy Eggs’ TV adverts and packaging, which shows their farms’ considerate approach, hen welfare is always an essential part of the company’s philosophy.
By believing that keeping happy hens is the only way to ensure their eggs are of the finest quality, Noble Foods and The Happy Egg company can make sure they keep doing everything they can to maintain the welfare of their birds. If you’d like to know more about Happy Eggs then take a look at their Facebook profile: Happy Eggs on Facebook.