Eggs are a family business for Burnbrae Farms

Welcome to Burnbrae Farms! 

Last week, the gracious Hudson family invited myself and 12 other bloggers to visit their farm and family legacy in Lyn Ontario. I’m not sure any of us knew what to expect, but as it turned out, we were in for a real treat! 

During our long drive on the ‘party bus’, we chatted with Margaret Hudson, President of Burnbrae Farms. To say Margaret is passionate about eggs is an understatement! She knows her business inside and out, enthusiastically talks about social responsibility, the health benefit of eggs and the care that goes into raising chickens and will proudly share the family history from the first eggs onto the farm to memories of growing up around the property. 

And she should be proud! The Hudson family have a long history of farming that dates back to 1893! Eggs were introduced to the family business in the 1940’s and today Burnbrae is Canada’s leading egg producers and their products are 13 time award winners! 

Burnbrae is Scottish – “Burn” being the name for a stream and “Brae” a hillside

 

Upon arriving at the farm we were treated to an amazing lunch from a local chef. I could not get over how delicious our meals were, from omelettes made to order, to salads, tarts and a bread pudding dessert, we certainly did not go hungry on our visit to the farm! Eggs of course were the winning ingredient for all!

Why Eat Eggs?

Eggs are one of nature’s most nutritious foods. One large egg contains only 70 calories and an incredible amount of nutrition. They are also super easy to prepare!

– Eggs contain all nine essential amino acids making them an excellent source of high quality protein
– Large variety of vitamins and minerals
– Contain important antioxidants like lutein zeaxanthin (good for your eyes!!)
– Low in saturated fat
– Low in sodium and carbohydrates
– Essential fatty acids like omega 3-6-9

Farming has really advanced over the years and I was amazed to see how technical and organized both the barns and the factory side of the production was. We were not allowed near any of the chickens, but we were able to observe them through windows. There’s nothing more important than keeping the chickens safe and healthy! We took at look at three different housing systems that they have set up on the Lyn farm.

Conventional Housing

This system provides one of the smallest carbon footprints of any type of animal agriculture and is most common. The hens (The White Leghorn, which produce white eggs and the Rhode Island Red, which produce brown eggs) live in small social groups and have fair access to food and water.

Enriched Colony Housing

A bit of an upgrade to the previous model, the cages are bigger and also include perches and private nesting areas so the birds can express more natural behaviours. 

Free Range Housing

This system is more like a large barn giving the birds ample space to move around at free will and dust, perch and nest as they please. It came as a surprise to hear that birds have quite the social system and prefer to be all in the same space. Although the barn is plenty big enough for all the birds to spread out, they prefer to stick close together. There are dominant birds who rule the roost and will pick on less fortunate birds. When the farmers see this they may move that bird away from the area to a new section of the barn, but we were told within a day or two, that bird will be right back to where they were. Although, many believe this is a more humane way to raise chickens and feel free range birds are happier, I wasn’t convinced that this was true. 

Every egg cracked for a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin in Canada is a Burnbrae egg!

Something I was surprised to learn was that in European countries you can buy eggs straight from the shelf, they are not kept in the refrigerator. This is because in North America it is our procedure to wash the eggs at high temps to remove dirt and bacteria. In doing this, it also washes a protective coating off the egg, once that coating is removed the egg is susceptible to bacteria and must be refrigerated.

The Hudson family were so happy to have us visit their farm they weren’t about to let us leave without checking out the other animals as well! We were greeted by Marshmallow the adorable cow and said hello to a few horses as well! I was so excited to have a turn riding one, after another delicious meal at Helen Anne’s house. Yes that’s right, we did not just tour a farm and get sent off, we were invited right into their homes as guests and met the whole family! The Hudson family were gracious hosts and treated us like friends and family! 

What I took away most from our visit to the farm was just how hardworking, intelligent and passionate egg farmers are! They are so creative and have a hundred ideas for new and innovative products running through their heads! They are dedicated to their animals, the environment and to providing world class eggs to you and me. Farming is a personal business, they treat their animals and staff well and even just after a day out on the farm, I left feeling like part of the Burnbrae family! It was an amazing experience I will remember every single time I am at the grocery store picking up my package of awesome Burnbrae eggs!

 For more information visit the Burnbrae Farms website

 I am participating in the Burnbrae Farms Blogger Farm Tour program as a guest of Burnbrae Farms. All opinions are 100% my own.