There’s a little path in Coxs Bay reserve that winds between Parawai Crescent and the bottom of Bayfield Road with native bush and birds on one side and the paddocks of Kelmarna Community Farm on the other. It’s a small but perfectly formed slice of country in Grey Lynn.
Completing the bucolic picture are sheep peacefully grazing and chickens gently clucking and pecking around their dedicated paddock.
These will be some of the 60-plus Hy-line hens living and laying at the farm. They lay around 50 eggs a day, depending on the season. Finding those eggs can become a bit of a treasure hunt sometimes, says Chicken Chief Sarah Lilly Moss-Baker. “They really do have free range. We give them a lovely life amongst our paddocks and trees and sell the eggs at the Farm Shop and through the Community Supported Agriculture scheme."
With start-up funding via a grant from the Waitematā Local Board, the whole chicken and egg project aims to be a truly regenerative, low-carbon model for localised egg production. The farm utilises local food waste which reduces the need for industrial chicken feed grown and transported in from elsewhere as well as using food by-products that would normally be considered waste.
‘Closed loop’ and locally sourced feed options include fish heads and frames, whey recovered from milk processing and okara from tofu processing, all providing the essential protein and fat for healthy hens. Sarah-Lilly says they are also collaborating with Daisuke Arao, of Common Knowledge Insect to test growing Black Soldier fly larvae onsite to add to the chicken feed.
Grains recovered from local organics stores also form an essential part of their nutritious diet as well as organic feed pellets to make sure they are getting everything they need all year round.
And of course the chickens forage in the free-range pasture for a variety of greens and are given farm grown fruit and other picked leaves.
The current landscape of egg production in New Zealand is dominated by intensive laying operations with feed production and transport contributing substantially to the global warming potential of poultry systems.
Says Sarah, "We see the potential for our ethical, waste-minimising egg production system to provide a teaching model for aspiring small-scale farmers to participate in, learn from and apply to their local communities elsewhere."
The project has also opened up a wealth of diverse educational opportunities for local schools, community groups and volunteers to engage with regenerative agriculture and food sovereignty.
The eggs are sold in the Farm Shop and via a weekly subscription service known as Community Sourced Agriculture (CSA). It’s a partnership-based model where community members and farmers work together to produce and share food. It’s very similar to the vege box CSA – you pay for the season upfront and then collect your share of eggs and/or veggies every week for the three month season.
"We’re proud to be able to offer nutritious eggs from hens with a great quality of life," says Sarah.
Visit the website or instagram to join the weekly egg and veggie subscriptions and to learn more about Kelmarna Community Farm and volunteering opportunities.
Kelmarna Community Farm, 12 Hukanui Crecent, T: 09 376 0472, www.kelmarna.co.nz
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