We all know that free-range eggs are the best kind to buy – they're ethically produced and the chickens are treated well.

But did you know that you can actually watch how one egg supplier raises its chickens?

Taking her excitement to TikTok, Victorian shopper Celia Gercovich said that the label on the tray of Manning Valley Free Range Eggs that she purchased had the words "Free Range Webcam" printed on it, prompting her to search the company on Google.

Credit: TikTok/@celia.gercovich​

As it turned out, the company, which has five free-range farms in regional NSW, allows consumers to see the chickens in their natural habitat via live webcam.

Manning Valley Free Range Eggs owner Peter Matuszny installed the cameras around the barns seven years ago as a way of giving people an insight into the chicken-raising process.

He said that the move assures customers about the company's transparency and provides educational insights into raising free range chickens.

For those of you who would like to catch a glimpse of the chooks raised in the Manning Valley's barn, please visit the company's Our Chickens page.

The company also has a note for curious customers about the live stream of its operations, writing: "Our Free Range Webcam at one of our Manning Valley farms streams from 10 am until dusk in suitable weather conditions."

Celia said that the company's initiative assured her that the eggs that she bought are cruelty-free.

She quipped: "When I buy eggs I always go for free-range ones and this is how I picture them, just living in a big field where they can just run around."

"This just makes me so happy."

Manning Valley Free Range Eggs are available for purchase at major supermarket retailers, such as Coles and Woolworths, and hundreds of independent specialty stores. Credit: Manning Valley Free Range Eggs.​

Since we're on the topic of free-range eggs, what exactly does "free-range" mean in Australian laws?

In Australia, free-range egg farms must provide hens with meaningful and regular access to an outdoor range during daylight hours for at least eight hours a day. Additionally, the maximum outdoor stocking density for free-range egg farming is 10,000 hens per hectare of land or one hen per square metre.

So, when you see "free-range" eggs at the store, you can be confident that the hens had plenty of space to roam and forage outdoors. And, if you're looking for an even higher standard, you can check the egg carton for the farm's outdoor stocking density.

A note on the Australian Eggs website read: "Importantly, free-range hens are free to choose when to go outside and how long to stay there."

So, there you have it, folks! What are your thoughts on this? Do you think other farms should also follow the practice for transparency purposes?

 

[Mindygirl12022]

How good it would be if other places had transparency like this.

 

[D.g. 3005]

That is a great idea, it’s nice there are only 2500 chicken per hectare.
We always look for the best free range eggs, and found the sunny queen farm only has 1500 chickens per hectare.

 

[Senor]

We have been buying free range eggs for the past 17-years but we have never checked the number of chickens per hectare. We assumed that there would some requirement that these producers have to meet to be able to call their eggs 'free-range'. Perhaps we should pay more attention to this detail.

 

[Sunshine45]

Detail on a tray of free-range eggs stuns shopper — "This just makes me so happy"​

We all know that free-range eggs are the best kind to buy – they're ethically produced and the chickens are treated well.

But did you know that you can actually watch how one egg supplier raises its chickens?

Taking her excitement to TikTok, Victorian shopper Celia Gercovich said that the label on the tray of Manning Valley Free Range Eggs that she purchased had the words "Free Range Webcam" printed on it, prompting her to search the company on Google.

Credit: TikTok/@celia.gercovich​

As it turned out, the company, which has five free-range farms in regional NSW, allows consumers to see the chickens in their natural habitat via live webcam.

Manning Valley Free Range Eggs owner Peter Matuszny installed the cameras around the barns seven years ago as a way of giving people an insight into the chicken-raising process.

He said that the move assures customers about the company's transparency and provides educational insights into raising free range chickens.

For those of you who would like to catch a glimpse of the chooks raised in the Manning Valley's barn, please visit the company's Our Chickens page.

The company also has a note for curious customers about the live stream of its operations, writing: "Our Free Range Webcam at one of our Manning Valley farms streams from 10 am until dusk in suitable weather conditions."

Celia said that the company's initiative assured her that the eggs that she bought are cruelty-free.

She quipped: "When I buy eggs I always go for free-range ones and this is how I picture them, just living in a big field where they can just run around."

"This just makes me so happy."

Manning Valley Free Range Eggs are available for purchase at major supermarket retailers, such as Coles and Woolworths, and hundreds of independent specialty stores. Credit: Manning Valley Free Range Eggs.​

Since we're on the topic of free-range eggs, what exactly does "free-range" mean in Australian laws?

In Australia, free-range egg farms must provide hens with meaningful and regular access to an outdoor range during daylight hours for at least eight hours a day. Additionally, the maximum outdoor stocking density for free-range egg farming is 10,000 hens per hectare of land or one hen per square metre.

So, when you see "free-range" eggs at the store, you can be confident that the hens had plenty of space to roam and forage outdoors. And, if you're looking for an even higher standard, you can check the egg carton for the farm's outdoor stocking density.

A note on the Australian Eggs website read: "Importantly, free-range hens are free to choose when to go outside and how long to stay there."

So, there you have it, folks! What are your thoughts on this? Do you think other farms should also follow the practice for transparency purposes?

This is the way it should be and I always buy free range eggs!

 

[Ricci]

I always buy free range but why is it that they still don't taste as good as the ones we used to get when we kept chooks?

 

[Jennylolo]

I always buy free range but why is it that they still don't taste as good as the ones we used to get when we kept chooks?

we used to feed ours vegetable scraps (peelings- other than potatoes and onions). I'm sure that makes a difference.

 

[Ian Crane-Luff]

Would be nice if I could buy eggs my local Coles only has caged eggs which I refuse to buy and am puzzled why that's all they have, of course, they may be up to their usual trick to get rid of overstock items as per their poor purchasing practices.

 

[Singomate]

I always buy free range but why is it that they still don't taste as good as the ones we used to get when we kept chooks?

Well they are still fed Chemicals the same as caged hens ,did notice the egg yolk is not as bright orange yellow color, they roam thousands per acre sorry still using imperial not metric.