The hardy hens farmed by the Mahlares trace their African roots back many generations, writes

uben and Mabel Mahlare are raising proudly South African chickens. You can tell these birds are special from the extraordinary way they leave the hen houses and run towards the Mahlares when they spot their twicedaily treat of luscious lucerne being delivered.

“They are my babies,” says Mabel of the chubby, speckled birds clucking at her feet. “I grow the lucerne especially for them.”

These are special chickens, because they are cross-bred from three varieties indigenous to southern Africa — Ovambo, Venda and Matabele. At the farm in Bela Bela, the layers are raised to produce indigenous eggs for Woolworths. The eggs have lighter shells, are inconsistent in size, with fluffy yolks.

Ruben, who is also a medical doctor, says: “They are natural. And tastier, but I am biased.”

Ruben says he developed a hankering for farming while growing up in a farming family. “We grew up riding on tractors, eating eggs out of our mother’s backyard.”

After researching poultry species, the Mahlares came across the locally adapted birds bred by specialist poultry breeder Mike Bosch. “They do take a bit more work and their yield is lower, a third of regular hens, but I love that they are unique,” says Ruben.

The birds are hardier than other types. While they lay only one egg every three days, they continue laying for around three years compared with the one-year laying span of other varieties.

“They can be moody if the weather is bad, they don’t like storms,” says Mabel.

The Mahlares started with two freerange houses as a pilot project before they were spotted by Woolworths in 2012. A development loan saw the couple fill the houses with stock, and they now have 10 000 hens which have supplied the retailer with eggs since 2013.

“We feed them a vegetarian diet, sunflower seeds, maize and minerals. And they love the lucerne, which is great for their diet. They also get lots of time in the sun for vitamin D,” Mabel says.

“The eggs are around 69g usually, which is bigger than the average 60g,” Ruben says proudly.

Each is brushed by hand, because freerange chicken eggs need more cleaning. “The shells are porous, so you can’t wash them,” adds Mabel.

While Ruben says one of the benefits of farming chickens is that he can enjoy at least three eggs a week, fried or poached, the bigger picture is important to him. “Contributing to the food security of the country makes it worthwhile. And it is a proud moment when our son in Cape Town spots our eggs at the Woolies in Milnerton.”