Angus Dowell and his wife Lauren, fifth generation farmers, built two 32,000 Morspan laying sheds with Big Dutchman 284 Natura internals in the summer of 2023, and are in the process of building a third, to supply Farmlay, which has contracts with some of the main supermarket retailers from its base in Aberdeenshire.
Arable and potatoes has been the main enterprise at North Mains of Cononsyth near Arbroath, where the Dowell family farm an 800-acre unit with additional contract farming and potato lets. Since 2011 Angus’ forward-thinking father John, has installed a wind turbine, solar panels and five biomass boilers to self-sufficiently power the farm in heat and electricity. They dry woodchip for local farmers and any excess power is exported to the grid.
Laying hens are the first livestock on the farm for over 30 years. Angus explains that when they started the planning process in 2020, the egg market was struggling: “However, we’d always seen it as a long-term venture and the aim was just to make sure we were getting the most out of the hens and the market in every year, and now fortunately demand is high again.”
At the heart of this is a focus on nutrition to get quality eggs as well as healthy hens to lay for as many weeks as possible. Angus, who was a competitive curler and has always recognised the link between nutrition and performance, has been working together with his vet, Matt Balfour, breed rep James Wignall and Calum Littlejohn at East Coast Viners to tailor the feed rations to maximise egg quality and hen health.
“As we are new to this, we are potentially more open to trialling different things to see where we get results. Our main goal was to see if we could extend the laying time of the hens from about 70 weeks to 85+ weeks, without compromising the hen’s health and welfare or the quality of the eggs produced. It may have meant spending more on feed and additional additives, but the return has more than paid that back as we’ve had good quality eggs and the hens are laying well into their 80th week, so that positively impacts the overall margin.”
The Dowells have tweaked the nutrition as they go, East Coast Viners adapting the feed to suit what they needed as they monitored hen and egg performance.
“Poultry feed needs to be consistent, easily digestible and have the right balance of nutrients,” said Littlejohn, who is part of team of six nutritionists at East Coast Viners who also specialise in game bird nutrition. “It also needs to be phased for each stage of lay. We are delivering loads on a weekly basis and the advantage of this is that changes can be regular and fluid, depending on how the hens are performing. These small adjustments can make all the difference to the longevity and ultimately the profitability of the flock. It’s about prevention, rather than cure.”
East Coast Viners sources 90% of the grain for its feed from farms within 30 miles of the mill at Drumlithie, where it is mixed with tailored nutrition. East Coast Viners regularly sends its feed and raw materials away for independent testing to identify the levels of nutrients and to make sure that the rations are formulated correctly depending on the results.
“This area is really good for growing wheat and barley so customers know that we are using good quality raw materials. We are then working closely with mineral experts and we know the vets at St David’s, who the Dowells use, so it’s all a very collaborative approach that helps ultimately to get the best results.”
East Coast Viners dries and processes the grain using the green energy from wind turbines and biomass at its Drumlithie feed mill, so this adds to positive environmental story for customers to pass on to retailers alongside their own initiatives.
One of the five biomass boilers at Cononsyth Farms heats the layer units, which has the dual advantage of drying the muck – locking in the ammonia to create better quality nitrogen for the fields, also diminishing the smell – and keeping the temperature in the shed at a constant 21 degrees. This controlled environment means the hens don’t need to respond to sharp changes in temperature which can affect how much they eat and lay, and it makes it easier for the Dowells to plan rations.
The contract pays weekly which is good for cash flow, says Angus, but also means a flexible approach that can bring immediate rewards.
The new egg sheds have created employment for two full-time and two part-time employees, who collect the eggs as well as manage the sheds, walking them to reduce the amount of floor eggs and keep on top of bird health and welfare. Lauren commented “We are very lucky to have a young enthusiastic poultry manager, Ollie and the fantastic team that work alongside him.”