38 | Chickens come home to roost The six free-range broiler chicken sheds will raise around 1.56 million hens annually, contracted to supply Inghams, one of New Zealand’s poultry processors. Waikiwi Farms T T Bernadette Cooney REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT A diversification plan has reached fruition with the completion of the final two poultry sheds in a series of six, significantly boosting production capabilities for Waikiwi Farm owners David and Lyndi Jefferis of Waerenga, North Waikato. The six free-range broiler chicken sheds will raise around 1.56 million hens annually, contracted to supply Inghams, one of New Zealand’s poultry processors. “We decided to add a poultry diversification venture in 2019, and the completion of these new sheds in 2023 is key to its success,” says David. “It was a challenge constructing the last two sheds during the latter part of Covid, so we are pleased to have them completed and we are grateful for all the work from construction partners, subcontractors and suppliers that helped get us here.”. The new sheds allow Waikiwi Farms to achieve significant economies of scale and fits well within the multiple on-farm agricultural income streams they manage, including bull beef fattening, winter lamb finishing, and maize silage production. Diversifying to poultry also helped mitigate weather risk to operations, says David, a strategic move towards a farming activity that is not weather affected. Designed and constructed by Auckland-based steel building experts, Novasteel, each shed is 168m x 16m and covers roughly 16,200sqm in total. They are equipped with the latest ventilation and feeding systems, as well as biosecurity access controls. The sheds meet SPCA standards for free-range growing operations, ensuring that the chickens are raised humanely. The birds are allowed to roam outside the sheds once they are about 14 to 15 days old, giving them space to engage in natural behaviours, says David. The six sheds are efficient to operate with just two full-time staff members and help from David. “That’s very efficient labour-wise, which is another plus.” Each shed can contain around 40,000 free-range birds raised at lower densities. Free-range chickens can command a premium price over the alternative ‘barnraised’ birds. Built with structural steel with metal-clad exterior and insulated panel interior, the sheds undergo a rigorous cleaning process involving high-pressure water blasters, followed by sanitising, after every 42-day production run when a batch of birds is fully grown. This ensures the facility remains hygienic and in compliance with health standards, with the interior restored to near-pristine conditions after every run. Alongside the Greenhill poultry operations, David employs a full-time dry stock manager and one part-timer to assist with raising bull beef and finishing up to 8000 lambs during winter months. These are all sold exclusively to Coastal Lamb, of which Waikiwi Farms is a shareholder. Cropping operations cover approximately 125 of the 360 total hectares, with maize planted in spring and sold on contract to dairy farm clients as maize silage. Lyndi and David live on farm and are the fourth generation on the property, which dates to 1875 when David’s great-grandfather first cleared the land. Two of Lyndi and David’s three adult children are currently attending Canterbury University and the third is in Melbourne working as a qualified civil engineer. Waikiwi takes a proactive approach to environmental sustainability, having invested in total waterway fencing, utilising chicken litter as fertiliser for pasture and maize crops, and implementing a tree-planting programme to ure long-term land productivity. ● Safe Power Assured ● Master Electrician • Commercial • Industrial • Rural • 24/7 Phone (07) 828 7240 | 30 William St, Huntly PO Box 164, Huntly | rivertownelectrical@xtra.co.nz www.rivertownelectrical.co.nz Rivertown Electrical rural domestic commercial industrial Proudly supporting Waikiwi Farms WAIKATO MASTER PLUMBER OF THE YEAR 2021
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