Press Release
Egg Miles
Saturday 20th October 2007
Clarence Court, the specialist free range egg producer, has revealed that its hens walk up to a mile every day, clocking up an astounding 1460 miles in their lifetime. The experiment, carried out by farm manager Chris Brenton, demonstrated that unlike modern hybrid birds, old breeds are naturally more athletic. Given the correct environment, they will utilise their time and energy to the full - resulting in a fuller flavoured superior egg.The experiment, undertaken to reveal the essential needs of a free range hen, involved attaching a tiny counter to the hen’s leg and monitoring the results on a typical English day – overcast and breezy. Free to roam within a five acre pasture field, the results, which estimated that an average hen’s step is four inches, were collated over a 16 hour period.
The birds varied tremendously in the way they utilised their time and like people revealed that in every flock there were sedentary and sporty birds, with the average hen making in excess of 7,000 steps – nearly ½ mile. However there were some determined health fanatics who made an amazing 16,245 steps – a tremendous mile a day. This means a hen would take 54 days to walk between London and Brighton and 68 years of their life to walk around the world!
Founded in 1990, Clarence Court has pioneered the revival of traditional British specialty breeds of hens from old pure bloodlines, for use in egg production. Fed on a natural cereal based diet and an abundance of grass and herbs the birds enjoy everything that a normal healthy hen requires. The result, eggs with a unique flavour, natural coloured yolk, dense texture and thick shells. No wonder celebrity chefs such as Mark Hix – who has created a bespoke series of seasonal recipes for Clarence Court – and Jamie Oliver are fans, and regularly use the eggs in their restaurants.
Says Clarence Court Director Lisa Rowe, “I am amazed at the results of this experiment. Although I have always recognised that our hens need ample space to move around and express themselves, I didn’t realise that certain members of the flock were clocking up over a mile day. It seems like an enormous effort for a single egg but it definitely gives ‘food miles’ a new meaning.”