TECHNICAL INFORMATION DIRECT FROM THE BREEDERS

Named after the poultry farm where the business originated, Blue Barns Hatchery was set up in the 1950s. In 1971 it was taken over by Jim Shacklady and John Henderson, and the same partnership subsequently bought Fred Horner Hatcheries at York. Initially, Blue Barns held the franchise for the Hisex Brown for Northumberland and Durham, and the acquisition of Fred Horner gave them the franchise for all of Yorkshire as well.

Blue Barns now sells Bovans Goldline: “We started selling Bovans Goldline about eight years ago, because this breed fits the UK market so much better,” explained Keith Henderson, John’s son. “Since we introduced Bovans, our sales have increased steadily year on year.” Annual sales currently stand at one million day-olds and between 600,000 and 700,000 point-of-lay pullets.

Free range accounts for at least 60 to 70 per cent of Blue Barns’ pullet sales. Pullets are reared at three permanent contract sites which are located at Carlisle, Yarm and Thirsk, which means that all pullets sold by Blue Barns have been reared locally. “We can supply any quantity of pullets, from half a dozen to 40,000, and we will deliver any order over 100 birds,” Keith said. Day-olds can be supplied up to Scotland as well as to customers across Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire.

Vaccinations are carried out by specialist vets, and customers’ own requirements can be incorporated into the vaccination programme. “All our birds are vaccinated within industry standards, and we will look into any additional vaccines as they come onto the market,” Keith confirmed. 

Keith Henderson has now taken over from his father to work in partnership with Jim. “With just two partners in the business, all enquiries are dealt with by one or the other of us,” said Keith. “The whole business has been built on customer service. We have a very ‘hands-on’ approach; we handle every aspect of the business ourselves so we can give direct answers to our customers.”

Keith has no doubt whatsoever that the Bovans bird is the best on the market today. “And that’s not just my opinion,” he says, “because our birds have just won an industry award. Stuart Jackson from Nunmonkton has been named Deans Producer of the Year, and his birds were supplied by Blue Barns.”

Free range producers who place a premium on comprehensive technical information will find that Blue Barns Hatchery has all the answers. Keith Henderson puts this in a nutshell: “We are directly linked with the breeding company, and this puts us in a position to give the best technical advice and back up right through from ordering to end of lay.”

For more information on Blue Barns Hatcheries contact 07889 138233