What 20,000 hens a hectare looks like

HOW many hens a hectare is an acceptable amount to be classified as free range? Two videos have appeared on YouTube recently offering 360 degree views of a paddock stocked at a ratio of 20,000 hens a hectare.

The videos, which also appear on the Australian Egg Corporation website, pan around to capture footage of a half-hectare paddock and shed where 10,000 hens are kept.

Th e videos come as the industry debates acceptable limits on the amount of hens a hectare acceptable to be classed as free range.

Calls have been made for density ratios as low as 750 hens a hectare.