Wood Farm has been a family business since 1948 and is run by father and son, John and Charles Mear with Charles’ wife Jo, handling the marketing of Wood Farm Free Range eggs, which are sold door-to-door throughout the local area. The hens are fed by Wynnstay Farmers’ Group with the vast majority of the farm’s stock supplied to Heart of England Eggs in Bromsgrove, although Charles aims to market 5% of the farm’s own eggs in due course. The business also involves the local community, where 8 of the 16 farm workers, although retired, are employed to pack eggs.

Farmer Charles Mear has kept Hy-Line chickens for 9 years, maintaining a close association with the company throughout. This mutually beneficial working relationship has seen Wood Farm promoting Hy-Line birds by regularly hosting potential Hy-Line clients from all over Europe. The company has supplied technical expertise and advice on a weekly basis and actively assists Mear and Sons in promoting the use of its Lion and Freedom Food eggs in all areas. 

Wood Farm houses two Hy-Line flocks, each of 13,000 and produces almost 8 million eggs per year. The stock most recently depleted laid a total of 326 eggs per hen day, still producing in excess of 70% at 72 weeks, reflecting the high productivity and extremely durable nature of the Hy-Line Brown. Furthermore, the birds have low mortality, range very well and their exceptional quality egg weight regularly exceeds projected weights listed in the Hy-Line manual. 

The resilience of the hens was tested dramatically two years ago when a violent storm blew away much of the roof of one hut. Fibreglass littered the 60-acre farm as a result and Charles presumed many of the flock would be lost due to smothering.  Astoundingly, there wasn’t a single fatality. A more recent flock experienced two critical setbacks at peak lay and at 53 weeks, which ordinarily would have knocked production considerably. However, the hens still came through to produce 326 eggs per bird.

Commenting on the success of the Hy-Line flocks, Charles Mear said, “Since we started using Hy-Line birds we’ve never looked back. The eggs are excellent quality and a good weight and the hens are extremely durable - we couldn’t ask for a better production rate. The technical advice we’ve received over the years has been second-to-none. Hy-Line is the perfect back-up team if there’s ever a problem and they are a constant source of support and encouragement, assisting us even when we were putting in a request for planning permission.”

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