Jon Emmanuel
Hamptonne Farm – Quality local free range eggs
HOW DID IT ALL GET GOING?
Hamptonne Farm is a small, family-run business in the parish of St. Lawrence. We initially started as a hobby farm, then in 2010 we made the decision to move into a commercial enterprise to meet local demand for fresh free-range eggs.
In 2010, we had 2,000 hens; over the next three years, this grew to 6,000 hens. The hens are 16 weeks old when they arrive at the farm and they begin laying eggs at around 20 weeks old.
The hens are housed in large mobile insulated polytunnels that keep the environment at an ambient temperature all year round. The polytunnels have pop holes that are open to the field outside, allowing the hens to come and go as they please.
There are five members of our team, who, along with our lovely hens, all work hard every day to get our eggs from the farm to our valued customers. We are members of Genuine Jersey and three years ago we achieved SALSA (Small and Local Supplier Approval) accreditation.
WHAT MAKES YOUR PRODUCTS UNIQUE?
Our eggs are locally produced for Jersey consumption only, we do not ship to anywhere else so we have a low carbon footprint as the distance from farm to customer is small. Our clover rich field adds to the depth of colour of the egg yolk making it more orange.
WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY LIKE FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
For our hens the day begins at 4:00 am when they wake up to eat and drink. They then lay their eggs in the quiet sanctuary of the nest boxes. After this, the hens are free to roam outside in the field or use the extensive scratching area inside the polytunnels. The hens can do what they like to do best: have dust baths, dig holes and, in general, enjoy all the activities that make life pleasant for them.
The rest of the team start work at 7.00 am and begin the process of first checking that all is well with the hens and then collecting the eggs. We collect eggs twice a day, these are then transported across the farm to the pack house; where they are graded for quality of shell and weight of the contents. The eggs are packed into cases by size: medium, large and extra large – ready for delivery.
Delivery times are varied but we always try to be on the road by 11:00am. The farm shop opens at 8:00am every day and closes at 5:00pm, one of the team is always checking to make sure that this is fully-stocked for customers who come to visit us at the farm. The day usual ends around 6:00pm but this can be much later dependant on what’s happened throughout the day.
BEST BIT OF YOUR JOB?
I enjoy walking through the flocks of hens in each poly-tunnel early in the morning, making sure that they are all well. The hens are very noisy first thing in the morning, some will come to greet me, others enjoy pecking at my boots and following me around to check what I’m up to.
WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT YOUR PRODUCTS?
Eggs are good for you, they contain high-quality protein and are also naturally rich in vitamin D, B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B12, iodine, selenium and other essential dietary vitamins and minerals.
Hamptonne Farm eggs are available at most local supermarkets and some farm shops including our own farm shop in St Lawrence.
Jon is pictured with Pack House Manager, Emma Poingdestre and one of his lovely hens!
