Show Notes
From 20 chickens as a homeschooling project at the age of 8 to a million dollar business with 5000 chickens, certified organic. As the brains and the brawn behind Madelaine's Eggs, the broad strokes of Madelaine Scott’s story are well known to Australians. She burst into the public eye as a 19-year-old launching a crowdfunding campaign that raised 60 thousand dollars in 60 days to purchase an egg-grading machine. In this conversation, now 31, Madelaine opens up about the day-to-day realities of running a free-range, organic operation including: — The financial realities and how much she pockets in profit, relative to turnover — How to care for chickens without worming and spraying them with chemicals — Exactly what feed and which supplements she gives her flock — The daily workload involved in running her free-range operation — How many staff she now has and her role these days — The organic certification process — The prospect of H5N1 bird flu arriving in Australia and what it would mean for her operation — Vaccines for chickens — The phasing out of caged eggs in Australia — Diversifying into meat (turkeys, "spent" hens) as well as eggs — Plans for a micro-abattoir at Hollyburton Farm — The homesteader lifestyle You can check out Madelaine’s own chicken soup recipe in the Spring 2025 issue of Chook Journal, our fully digital, immersive magazine available now via the website chookjournal.com.au
More from Chook. The Podcast
For almost 40 years, Phil and Anne Westwood have run Freeranger Eggs in Grantville, 90 km south east of Melbourne.
Brendon Murphy presides over the Australian Facebook group dedicated to Cream Legbar breeding.
Belinda Burgess tried having a regular job. She tried retiring. Neither stuck. Despite 12 hour days, 7 days a week, she says running a commercial poultry farm is a good job, a passion. Therapy, even. She sells 30-40+ dozen eggs per week at the height of the season, and hatches hundreds of chicks per week. She sells year-round. Ask her how many breeds she keeps and she'll have to check. In this conversation, Belinda is beautifully candid. She shares what it’s really like selling hatching eggs as a business — the ups and downs and some of her major learnings along the way. Whether it’s leg banding baby chicks at midnight or packing eggs at dawn…this chat will give you a feel for what it takes to build a successful operation. Topics discussed include: