Free-range Poultry
Eggs have been an integral part of AuroOrchard since the early years. Over decades, our poultry practices have evolved through reflection, experimentation, and an ongoing search for balance between ethics, ecology, and nourishment.
From Battery to Free Range
For many years, AuroOrchard raised white chickens (BV-300 breed) in conventional battery cages, a system still used widely in industrial poultry. These cages often hold up to thirty birds in a single square metre, restricting movement and natural behaviour. While efficient for production, this model neglects the wellbeing of the animal and affects the quality of the egg itself.
In the early 2000s, we transitioned to a deep-litter system, giving birds more space and a natural bedding material that supports their health. In 2015, we took another step and introduced the free-range system — where hens live in coops but also have open fields to range freely for six to eight hours a day. This allows them to express natural behaviours like scratching, dust-bathing, and foraging, while still having a safe space to roost and lay eggs.
However, our long-standing BV-300 birds had been bred for cage systems. Having never experienced freedom, many of them preferred the coop and didn’t explore the open range fully. The eggs were certainly healthier and more flavourful than commercial ones, but we realised the system was only halfway to what it could be.
Introducing the Hy-Line Brown
In 2021, we began an experiment with a new breed — Hy-Line Brown, known globally for its adaptability to free-range environments and its genetic closeness to traditional country chickens. These birds showed a remarkable difference:
- stronger immunity and lower disease incidence,
- active and curious free-range behaviour,
- richer egg flavour and improved nutritional profile.
It was the first time brown eggs were produced at AuroOrchard. Encouraged by this success, we began a gradual transition toward full adoption of the Hy-Line Brown flock. A new starter coop was built in 2023 to raise chicks until they are four months old, after which they move to a larger laying coop. Each batch of chicks is raised with care and gradually introduced to the open range to build comfort and familiarity with natural conditions.
By 2025, we completed the transition from white to brown birds entirely. Today, our coops house around 2,000 hens with ample indoor and outdoor space — significantly above conventional and even certified free-range standards across most regions of the world. We continue to expand free-range areas and refine our coop designs for comfort, hygiene, and ease of care. The shift to brown eggs is not only about taste or colour — it represents a deeper movement toward integrity in food systems, where the wellbeing of animals and the quality of food are inseparable.
Introducing the Hy-Line Brown
In 2021, we began an experiment with a new breed — Hy-Line Brown, known globally for its adaptability to free-range environments and its genetic closeness to traditional country chickens. These birds showed a remarkable difference:
- stronger immunity and lower disease incidence,
- active and curious free-range behaviour,
- richer egg flavour and improved nutritional profile.
It was the first time brown eggs were produced at AuroOrchard. Encouraged by this success, we began a gradual transition toward full adoption of the Hy-Line Brown flock. A new starter coop was built in 2023 to raise chicks until they are four months old, after which they move to a larger laying coop. Each batch of chicks is raised with care and gradually introduced to the open range to build comfort and familiarity with natural conditions.
By 2025, we completed the transition from white to brown birds entirely. Today, our coops house around 2,000 hens with ample indoor and outdoor space — significantly above conventional and even certified free-range standards across most regions of the world. We continue to expand free-range areas and refine our coop designs for comfort, hygiene, and ease of care. The shift to brown eggs is not only about taste or colour — it represents a deeper movement toward integrity in food systems, where the wellbeing of animals and the quality of food are inseparable.
Ethics and Recognition
Poultry farming is full of difficult ethical questions. We see our work as an evolving inquiry — how to offer our hens a natural and dignified life while still producing food for the community. Instead of aiming merely to meet existing standards, our goal is to surpass them in spirit.
In September 2025, AuroOrchard was formally recognised by the Cage Free & Free Range Poultry Producers Association (CFFRPPA) for meeting its rigorous standards of ethical and sustainable poultry farming. This membership affirms our commitment to uphold the highest principles of animal welfare and ecological responsibility while continuing to learn and evolve.
With community support, AuroOrchard hopes to deepen this journey and continue exploring the ethics of animal keeping in agriculture — an inquiry that, for us, is central to the evolution of a truly integral farm.
