Tasmanian accountant turned 'chook lady' says consumers want free range

Ms Tiller, who runs 700 laying hens with her son-in-law, Duncan Holt, Glengarry, said consumers now cared more about where their eggs come from and were steering clear of cage-produced operators.

While she said there was still a "level" of consumers wanting the cheapest supermarket eggs, many were changing their preference.

"They're used to the cheaper, mass produced egg which can be quite a bit cheaper," she said.

"I think they're coming around to understanding.

"Our customers in the market are looking for the ethical values attached to the keeping of the chickens and they all say the flavour is better.

"We've got that niche in our market because that's what people want.

"They don't want to buy eggs that have been produced by a chicken sitting in a cage."

The farm supplied eggs to the Harvest Market in Launceston once a fortnight and operated under the brand 'Tamar Valley Pasture Eggs'.

"We're in a couple of shops in Launceston and we got a couple of wholesale clients in cafes," Ms Tiller added.

The mother-in-law and son-in-law duo first set up their business six years ago.

They keep 700 Hyline Red hens at any one time in a pasture based system, with a further 150 pullets preparing to lay.

Their pullets came to them at 14 weeks, having been reared by another producer.

They laid at 24 weeks and were sold on to backyard hen keepers at about 72 weeks when production tapered off.

Each hen produced about 320 eggs a year and spent its days on grass.

The farm uses automatic roosting and laying vans where the sides close automatically and the floor is open to allow the dispatch of dung.

The vans and the hen paddocks were moved in rotation, fertilising the fields.

Mr Holt said there was not yet an official classification for these pasture-produced eggs but the system was becoming more popular.

"Technically, they are free range eggs but we're just that extra step," he said.

"They get a full ration plus whatever they can find in the paddocks.

"We don't limit their feed."

He said the hens' egg laying was very constant because they got plenty of water and a full ration.

"They don't rely on the land that much," he said.

"They fertilise the land and they do pest control.

"Grasshoppers and things like that, they'll eat them all."

Mr Holt said the hens' rotation was great for grass growth so the farm normally sells a "good deal of hay in addition to the eggs".

On the cost of production, he said feed price had increased recently, by about 10 per cent, or an extra $70 a tonne.

Ms Tiller said this had not been as bad as the hike seen by mainland egg producers.

"We were paying slightly more than most producers on the mainland would for our feed anyway so I think the cost impact wasn't as great," she said.

"A lot of them have talked about their feed prices nearly doubling but we didn't have as great an impact."

Mr Holt said diesel prices had increased with the effect seen in delivery costs and moving the hen vans.

Ms Tiller said consistency had been a major key to their business' success.

"We replace a van [of hens] at a time throughout the year and that cycle helps us to keep a steady level of production, rather than fluctuations, so we can then have a steady customer base and less wastage," she said.

"We're not having peaks and troughs, that's the idea."

The egg farmers said there could be egg shortages in future as more cage producers go free range.

Mr Holt said this was a "management issue" where changes producers made took months to be corrected.

"I think it's a management issue because from making a decision, it takes six months to get pullets to laying point," he said.

"I think what is happening now is that there will be some pressure on production because a lot of suppliers are moving to cage free," Ms Tiller added.

"That's been something that's coming for 30 years so they really should be prepared for it."

Mr Holt coined his mother in law as a "crazy chook lady" who was destined to end up as a producer.

Ms Tiller said she worked in an office for many years and was an accountant by trade originally.

She said egg production came to her as the "perfect opportunity".

"Of many farming processes, it is a bit easier to get into chickens than it is to say cattle, sheep or cropping," she said.

"You've a bit less capital expenditure and it's easier to manage for people."

Mr Holt said for their paddocks, you'd make a lot more money in a year than you would if you ran sheep or cows.

"You have to have a much bigger property and a lot more infrastructure," Ms Tiller said.

"This is a daily cash flow once you get up and going.

"You get production every day and you're not waiting 18 months to fatten up a beast."