16/08/2026
Please take the time to read this important update from Kumi and Kelvin from WillowZen - The Art of Farming Their chickens are more than just their livelihood, anyone that’s spoken with them knows how proud they are of how they raise and protect them. Please continue to support our passionate farmers. Next Kingston Farmers' Market is Sat 5 Sept opposite DFO Moorabbin
🐔 **BIRD FLU UPDATE FROM WILLOWZEN**
Firstly, we would like to sincerely thank all of our customers who support us at farmers’ markets and through the wonderful shops that stock WillowZen eggs.
Your support means far more to us than simply supporting our small family business. Over the years, many of you have become familiar faces and friends, and we are incredibly grateful for the kindness, encouragement and friendship you have shown our family.
We truly appreciate every conversation at a market stall, every carton of eggs you buy, and every message of support.
Many of you will have heard about the current H5N1 bird flu situation in Victoria and the new poultry control measures.
We wanted to explain what this means for WillowZen and, most importantly, what we are doing to keep our hens safe.
The Victorian Government currently requires people with 50 or more birds in specified areas to house or otherwise confine their birds to prevent contact with wild birds and wildlife.
Importantly, the Government also recognises that, depending on the way a farm is set up, **full confinement may not be immediately achievable or possible in an absolute sense**.
Where this is the case, poultry farmers are expected to take the **best achievable and practical steps to reduce the risk of contact with wild birds**.
These measures can include:
• restricting access to higher-risk areas
• reducing exposure to wild birds where practical
• improving exclusion from housing and yards
• using wild bird deterrents
• protecting feed and drinking water from wild bird contamination
For WillowZen, simply locking our hens inside for extended periods is not appropriate for the farming system we have developed over the past 12 years.
Our hens live in mobile housing and spend their days on pasture. They are moved **every week onto fresh pasture**, rather than remaining continually on the same ground. This helps prevent the build-up of manure and pathogens and is a fundamental part of how we keep our hens healthy.
💧 **One particularly important protection is our water supply.**
Our hens do not drink from dams, creeks or other surface water that can be contaminated by wild birds.
Their drinking water comes from our **bore**, significantly reducing an important potential pathway for disease transmission.
We also protect our feed and drinking systems from wild birds and continually assess where contact between wild birds and our hens can reasonably be reduced.
Our approach includes:
• moving every flock onto fresh pasture each week
• supplying clean bore water
• protecting feed and drinking water from wild birds
• maintaining clean mobile housing and equipment
• reducing opportunities for wild birds to access areas used by our hens
• maintaining strong farm biosecurity
• closely observing the health and behaviour of our hens every day
We take the threat of H5N1 very seriously.
At the same time, we believe the best response for a pasture farm like WillowZen is to use our knowledge and experience to implement **practical, effective biosecurity measures while continuing to protect the welfare of our hens**.
Our hens are healthy, active and behaving normally, and we will continue reviewing and improving our biosecurity as the situation develops.
Thank you again for supporting our family, our farm and the way we choose to care for our hens. 🥚🌱
Kumi & Kelvin
WillowZen Open Pasture Eggs
