Free range eggs at the makers market. Lets find out more about the Happy Hens here on the blog …
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Manjunath M– Business Graduate & textile designer with family in agriculture. Spent early days with grandmom’s hens , cows & sheep. In late teens contributed in rescuing urban wildlife in Bangalore. An extrovert, trees, art, antiques, dogs, cows are my interests.
I take care of the marketing, out reach & finance in Happy Hens.
Ashok Kannan – being blessed with special abilities, had no formal schooling. This never stopped him venturing out to play cricket with friends against his dads wishes. His unconditional thirst for knowledge gained him vast knowledge in the field of herbs, natural farming & animal behaviour through reading & internet. Experimented all his thoughts & ideas in to actions with the support of his family in the last 20 years.
Handles farm operations, production, training & research in Happy Hens. Lives in the farm with his family that also includes hens, native cows, goats, horse, dogs & cats.
What inspired you to begin farming?
In India millions of hens are caged in wire mesh to satisfy mans greed. The need for cheap food & for keeping profits before ethical standards, has made the poultry industry unworthy. Mass production of low quality food.
The need for humane farming & quality food led to a simple thought & curiosity towards hens and their care i.e the beginning of HAPPY HENS.
About your farm and the hens.
Since 2010, we have pioneered in reviving the backyard poultry with native/desi breeds in natural, humane & sustainable standards.
Having implemented the best animal welfare standards i.e RSPCA(UK) . We started off with 100 hens on 6 acres of land in Bangalore and have grown to 10,000 hens on 40 acres of land in Trichy. We have the improved native breeds from the government hatcheries & indigenous breeds like Kadaknath and Asil. These breeds can thrive well in the natural eco system. Our land is 100% organic & this ensures a safe bio diversity for our hens & for the eggs they lay.
We train farmers and empower women of the surrounding areas, which only increases their knowledge of traditional natural farming. Our model ensures lively hood for interested farmers.
How do your hens differ from those in industrial egg farms?
Industrial Farming – As the word says birds are confined in an A4 size space their entire life. Depriving them the basic needs of life. Treated like an egg producing machine.
At Happy Hen farms we do all that it takes to keep our girls happy, maintained by family owned farms. The 5 freedoms, recognised & accepted widely, which makes them have their own personalities. They are always in a healthy state of mind.
- Freedom from hunger and thirst: by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
- Freedom from discomfort: by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease: by prevention through rapid diagnosis and treatment.
- Freedom to express normal behaviour: by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
- Freedom from fear and distress: by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
Our hens are fed on diet, consisting of grains & greens, supplemented with herbs & treated with traditional remedies. The greens & bugs in the range are their natural treats that makes the eggs highly nutritious.
Whereas hens in caged farms are provided a feed with no choice and designed to lay more eggs. These patented genes which are modified to promise high production but with zero care for the animal. Are pumped with regular dose of antibiotics due to their high chances to catch disease due to stress & unhygienic litter condition.
What makes your eggs stand out from others?
Only a Happy Hen can produce healthy & delicious eggs, just as nature intended !!
Humane & natural farming along with healthy diet makes our hens produce eggs with strong firm yolk. Rich in nutrition like Omega 3 , Vitamins, Iron, Carotenoids Etc .
Many people of the masses would choose to source more responsibly than give up their sources of nutrients and we are here to bridge that gap with our Free Range Eggs.
USP:
The highest welfare animal standards are implemented – RSPCA (UK)
Our green pastures raised hens eggs is rich in protein & Carotenoid
We are reviving the indigenous / native (desi) breeds like Kadaknath, Asilcross,etc. in small flock size for uniform growth
Our hens are fed omega rich natural flax seeds for high quality OMEGA 3, tested to 300mg /egg
Non-Fertile Eggs.
free from Antibiotics & Hormones.
100% organically maintained range that provides treats for our hens
What is the biggest challenge you face as a farmer and as a young entrepreneur?
For long eggs has been considered as cheap source of nutrition. The market fails to understand or rather don’t have the basic understanding of the work involved to rear chickens for eggs. Also clear the myths about eggs.
Getting people to touch feel & experience the farming in the smallest & effective way is the mission ahead for us, so the chicken & eggs can be given the life & value it deserves.
What are you bringing to the BHFTH market?
We bring the whole experience of farming & the life of Happy Hens on a table.
Traceability is the key to trust. Farm to Fork is in trend, but what happens in between is what we are excited to share. We answer all the questions & share the knowledge to the audience through videos& images from our farm.
Meet the Maker @
By Hand From The Heart Makers Market 23rd Edition
Friday – Saturday
16th & 17th February, 2018
10:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m
Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park, (old Adyar Gate Hotel)
132, T.T.K Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 600018, India.
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