“We want to produce eggs in a way that gives hens the best life, that
benefits the land, with more nutrition than any supermarket counterpart”
Meet Alex, Michael (and Lenny)
of Four Leaf Farm
the problem
There’s a sinister truth behind our omelettes. Unless eggs are organic, the reality behind the ‘free range’ label is flocks of up to 30,000 birds in huge over-crowded sheds, often stacked in tiers, most never able to reach the doors to get outside. 43% of egg laying chickens in the UK are still in cages and barns are just a euphemism for an industrial sized windowless, doorless shed. In all these scenarios, hens suffer terribly. The impact on the environment is devastating. It’s a deeply broken system.
And brilliant farmers like Alex and Michael are setting out to fix it.
“We’re farming WITH nature”
How will they do it?
Taking inspiration from regenerative farmers all around Europe, their hens will live outside, happily foraging, dust bathing and napping! They will be moved onto fresh ground every few days, so they’ve got new greens and insects, resulting in probably the best eggs you've had. The pasture will get time to recover properly, each time the birds move along, which means improved soil health & more biodiversity, supercharged by the hens’ scratching and the chicken poop left behind. The local community can buy super-nutritious, pasture-raised, totally trustworthy eggs. And Alex & Michael make a rewarding living. Happy hens, happy soils, happy farmers, happy us.
What we can help WITH
Michael is a design engineer and has designed a genius contraption that they’re calling the Hen Mobile. This is in effect a state of the art hen caravan, where the hens come in to roost at night. Having it on wheels means they can move it easily to a different section of field every few days. Inspired! Watch Michael explaining how it will work >>>
our contribution
The cost to construct the hen mobile is £4000 and we are putting in £1000 towards it. Four Leaf is a fledgling farm with a big mission, out to prove that you can raise hens in a natural way and still be profitable. THAT’S the bigger purpose we’re helping this inspiring couple achieve. How great is that!
PROJECT STATUS
The build is complete and the girls are in! Watch the video to see it in action and hear how much it means to Alex and Michael to have had our community’s support.