Chook champions have a crack

JAY FIELDING

THE winners of the champion egg award at the last Fraser Coast Show say they’re going to have a red-hot “crack” at defending their title later this month.

Brother Brother Organics owners Amanda and Nick Kuhn took out the gong at the 2019 show before the business had even sold its first egg.

The company was the brainchild of Nick and his brother – hence the name – and is run from their parents’ Oakhurst property.

Nick and Amanda entered eggs in the show while still gaining their accreditation to sell eggs commercially, having received their first flock two months earlier.

They sold their first eggs after taking out the large egg, medium egg and champion egg categories.

“We did it just as a joke, Nick said.

“We thought we’ll just enter to see how our eggs stack up,” he said.

“We were very surprised to win. It was definitely something we weren’t expecting.”

Nick said the secret to producing a good egg was to let chickens do what comes naturally to them.

“You’ve got to let chickens be chickens,” he said.

“Chickens love to forage, they love to scratch, they love to dig, they love to dust bathe.”

The Kuhns feed their flocks a high-protein grain ration, which is supplemented by the grass and insects the chickens eat in the pastures they’re raised in.

Brother Brother Organics doesn’t use pesticides, insecticides or synthetic colourings in their feed. Both their flocks are each guarded by a maremma dog, allowing the chickens freedom to roam and choose when they enter and exit their purposebuilt chicken caravans at night.

The couple also uses natural preventative measures to keep the birds happy and healthy, including feeding them shell grit and adding apple cider vinegar to their water.

Their flocks of hy-line brown chickens are rotated between pastures weekly.

“They’re very similar to an isa brown, but the ones we have are just a better layer,” Nick said.

Once the chickens stop laying at a profitable rate, they are rehomed to locals as backyard chickens.

Before the venture, Nick and Amanda had no experience farming chickens, although Nick had grown up on his parents’ property where beef cattle are run as a hobby rather than a business.

“My wife and I were living in Alice Springs at the time and I was a finance manager and my wife was a housing tenancy manager,” Nick said.

After forming the idea for Brother Brother Organics to create a profitable farm enterprise, Nick researched chickens and egg production for about six months.

Their flock has grown from 800 initially to 2800 now, producing 2400 to 2500 eggs a week.

They supply 10 cafes and restaurants and up to 15 retail stores on the Fraser Coast, as well as selling the eggs at the Thursday markets in Maryborough and Urangan’s Pier Markets on Saturdays.

“We get a lot of feedback about our eggs and people love them,” Nick said.

Demand for ethically produced food using traditional methods was growing, Nick said, but the farm would top out with 3000 birds due to the labour-intensive nature of the business.

The eggs are all collected, graded and packed by hand.

With last year’s show cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Kuhns had to wait until this year to defend their crown.

“We were pretty disappointed we couldn’t do it last year,” Nick said.

“We’ll give it another crack this year.”

Nick said the Fraser Coast Show was the perfect opportunity for locals to raise awareness about their top-quality produce.

The Kuhns will also be having a crack at the state’s biggest show in August. “We’ve already put our entry in for the Ekka this year,” Amanda said.

The Fraser Coast Show will be held on Thursday, May 20, and Friday, May 21, at the Maryborough Showgrounds. Tickets are now available online or from the gate.