Do you know what humans use a lot of? Chickens. Chickens and their eggs. An average Montusi guest requires about six eggs per day.
We are in the most fortunate position that we have space and a lot of it. We also have the time, resources and expertise to build a fantastic home for a flock of free-range chickens that not only deliver us around 100 eggs per day but also keep us endlessly entertained with their chicken-y quirks!
Our journey into home-grown, free-range eggs started with Andrew raising broilers to supply the local village with live chickens. He built “The Chicken House”, purchased all the tools required for his chicken farm and employed one man to wrangle the brood.
Hundreds of tiny chicks would arrive in all their fluffy yellow cuteness, but within 8 short weeks, they would grow into large white birds, perfect for pot! After a few years of wrangling the broilers as a side income, life moved on and children arrived in the Duff house.
The Chicken House was cleared for the last time and turned into a storage building. The experience provided Andrew with the skills required to care for chickens, which would come in very useful seven years later when Covid provided us with the time and necessity of diversifying again. Queue The Layers!
This time Andrew focused on free-range eggs. The Duffs built a small pen behind their house with a cosy little hut for the hens to roost in and Duffs Eggs began supplying the lodge kitchen with beautifully bright yellow eggs.
The first flock of 40 hens quickly became an integral feature of our lives. So much so that we have now expanded the flock and their home: 100 pretty brown hens now frequent a lovely large paddock behind the tennis court and our lodge relies completely on them for our egg consumption.
Next time you’re at Montusi, pop up to The Coop for a visit with these amusing little creatures!
