Winter has arrived at Mulloon Creek Natural Farms, bringing crisp mornings, our first frosts of the season and another busy period across the poultry enterprise and wider farm. As always, our focus remains on producing high-quality, free-range eggs while continually improving animal welfare, regenerative farming practices and the systems that support our people, livestock and landscape.
One of the highlights this season has been watching our newest flock settle into life on pasture. The young hens have transitioned outdoors and we are now eagerly waiting for the appearance of the first egg, marking an exciting milestone for the enterprise. To encourage natural behaviours, we’ve introduced an enrichment playground *think chicken swingset* (kindly created and donated by our DIY specialist and GM, Tom) giving the birds greater opportunities to perch, explore, forage and play. Another new batch of day-old chicks has also arrived safely, with our team carefully managing brooding conditions to give every chick the healthiest possible start.
Nutrition continues to be a major focus within the poultry operation. Working alongside our poultry nutritionist, we have introduced an updated feeding program, including a specialised developer ration before point of lay to better prepare pullets for egg production. Probiotics have also been incorporated into the starter ration for our youngest chicks, supporting gut health and early development. Our hens continue to receive a carefully balanced diet consisting of certified organic grains, protein sources including meat meal, canola oil, vitamins, minerals and other quality ingredients that promote bird health and consistent egg production.
Maintaining excellent flock health remains one of our highest priorities. Hatchhouse veterinarian Dr Niamh Walton continues to visit regularly to assess bird health and collect samples as part of our monitoring program. This season we’ve successfully completed worm egg count monitoring and Salmonella Enteritidis surveillance, providing further confidence in the health of our flocks. We also welcomed James Dowd from Australian Eggs, who visited the farm to provide valuable recommendations around quarantine procedures, production systems and biosecurity, helping us strengthen our management practices even further.
Biosecurity and workplace safety have continued to receive significant attention throughout the farm. New safe work procedures have been introduced, UHF radios have been rolled out across the team to improve communication and emergency response, and we continue to reinforce the importance of maintaining strong biosecurity practices to protect both our livestock and staff.
Our livestock guardian program has also continued to grow. The newest Maremma puppies (pictured at top of page) are progressing well through their training and are learning the important role they will play protecting our free-range hens from predators. Alongside this, our team recently completed Low Stress Stock Handling training, further developing our understanding of calm, safe and effective livestock handling techniques.
Outside the poultry enterprise, the cattle herd has recently undergone pregnancy testing, with many cows confirmed in calf and the first of this season’s calves expected over the coming months. Across the farm, regenerative grazing continues to improve pasture health while supporting productive livestock systems.
Regenerative agriculture remains at the heart of everything we do. This season, our team continued practicing biodynamic farming principles, preparing and burying Biodynamic Preparation 500 by filling cow horns with fertile cow manure before burying them over winter. These preparations will later be applied across selected paddocks to stimulate soil biology, improve microbial activity and support healthy pasture growth. Biodynamic preparations are just one of many approaches undertaken as we continue improving soil health and landscape resilience.
Technology is also helping us better manage the farm. Farmbot Water Monitoring Systems have now been installed, allowing us to remotely monitor water levels across key infrastructure and respond more quickly when maintenance is required. Behind the scenes, our egg grading machine also underwent scheduled servicing by specialist technicians who travelled from Japan, ensuring the equipment continues operating at peak performance.
Maintaining the farm’s infrastructure remains an ongoing priority. Planned clean-up works are underway at the poultry farm to remove old metal and improve safety around the site. We are also pleased to welcome Mark, our new part-time maintenance man, who has already become a valuable member of the team by assisting with machinery repairs, vehicle maintenance and a wide variety of projects across the property. Thanks to the work of our local electrician, new lighting has also been installed throughout the new pasture sheds, ensuring our young birds receive the recommended 16 hours of light each day.
Learning and sharing knowledge continue to be central to life at Mulloon Creek Natural Farms. Earlier this year our Poultry Manager, Belle, was honoured to be selected as a Young Delegate at the Food for Purpose Poultry Conference in the Gold Coast, where she had the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and bring new ideas back to the farm. Our Farm Manager also attended a composting course facilitated by Australian Eggs in Tamworth, expanding his knowledge of soil health and nutrient cycling.
We were also pleased to host a veterinary student, who spent a week immersed in all aspects of free-range poultry production, gaining valuable hands-on experience while contributing to the team.
You may have seen reports of H5 avian influenza in migratory wild birds in parts of Australia. It has not been detected in poultry, and we’re following guidance from the lead agencies, keeping a close eye on our flocks and surroundings, and maintaining strong biosecurity measures as a precaution.
We also need to farewell valued team member and Farm Manager, Cec Lang. We wish him well for his future endeavours. As the seasons continue to change, so too does life on the farm – from welcoming new chicks, guardian puppies and calves to improving nutrition, infrastructure, technology and regenerative farming practices, the MCNF team remains committed to continual improvement while producing high-quality food in a way that supports healthy animals, healthy landscapes and healthy communities.
Pictured right: Belle, Ces, Mark, Nathan and Tom with Zippy, seated.
CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE Frosty mornings, best backpackers ever!, Nathan and his favourite chick, PUPPIES!, puppy cuddles, chooken nutrition, the silence before sunrise.
