Turosi is a vertically integrated
business covering every stage
from the farm to the table.
OUR CAPABILITIES
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OUR OPERATIONS
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OUR OPERATIONS
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BREEDER FARMS
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BREEDER FARMS
Turosi has fifteen breeder farms located across Victoria.
Turosi has fifteen breeder farms. These farms are located at Pakenham, Nagambie, Benalla, Bannockburn, and Anakie in Victoria.
Five of these farms are used to rear birds to 22 weeks before they are moved onto one of the ten production farms. This is the time when the egg production phase begins, lasting until around 64 weeks of age.
Birds are raised on the floor of large barns and breed naturally. Fertilised eggs are laid continually during this period. When the birds lay their eggs, they choose a nest which is elevated off the floor. The eggs are collected and stored “on farm” in temperature controlled cool rooms before being transported to the hatcheries.
Eggs are graded on the farm to ensure only the cleanest eggs
are taken to the hatchery.
Breeding chickens are farmed under strict bio-security controls to ensure stock remains disease free and produces clean, high quality fertile eggs. Visits to our breeder farms are limited to ensure we minimise the risk of introducing any diseases.
All breeding stock is raised in a conventional method where there are no cages. Barns are climate controlled and well ventilated, with easy access to food and water.
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HATCHERIES
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HATCHERIES
Eggs are transported from breeder farms to purpose built facilities for incubation and hatching. Turosi has two hatcheries, located at Bannockburn and Fiveways (near Cranbourne) in Victoria.
Upon their arrival at the hatchery, eggs are initially stored in cool rooms until it is time for them to be placed in incubators. Eggs are stored for approximately 4 -7 days. This ensures we can adequately manage our day old chick needs.
The hatching process involves two stages over the 21 days it takes to hatch an egg.
During the first stage, eggs are placed in setters. Here, temperature and humidity are controlled within precise limits. Eggs are turned hourly. This process is designed to replicate, as closely as possible, what would occur in nature.
On the 18th day, eggs are transferred from setters to hatchers. The hatcher provides similar conditions to the setters but a slightly higher temperature, encouraging final development and stimulating hatching. The second hatching stage takes three days and occurs naturally as the chick pecks its way out of the egg’s shell.
On the day of hatch, chicks are taken from the hatchers to the take-off room where they are checked for quality and vaccinated against potentially harmful diseases before being transported to the broiler farms in specially designed temperature controlled trucks.
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BROILER GROWING
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BROILER GROWING
All broilers grown by Turosi meet the Australian standards for welfare and are grown under strict bio-security guidelines. The ethical treatment of our animals is one of our highest priorities.
Turosi grow chickens under various different systems to meet the requirements of our customers and the demand and preferences of consumers.
Free Range farms are subject to regular independent audits to ensure compliance with both Turosi standards, those of the FREPA, and our major customers.
FREE RANGE
Our Free Range farms meet the strict Free Range Farming standards and are accredited by Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia (FREPA).
Once fully feathered, around 21 days of age, birds are given access to outside ranging areas during the day and are returned to their barns at night to protect them from predators and the elements.
Typically, Free Range farms have fewer chickens per square metre of shedding than commercially grown chickens. Outside paddocks contain large areas of grass and shaded areas for chickens to forage and exhibit their natural behavioural traits.
Our Free Range chickens are marketed under the brand Bannockburn Free Range.
RSPCA APPROVED FARMING SCHEME
The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme is Australia’s leading independent certification scheme focused on animal welfare. It’s mission is to improve the lives of as many farm animals as possible, today. To achieve this, the RSPCA has developed detailed animal welfare standards that go beyond what’s legally required in Australia.
These standards aim to give farmed animals a better quality of life and a humane death. The RSPCA Approved logo provides assurance to consumers of the Standards being met on farm and at slaughter. Chickens on RSPCA Approved farms are encouraged to be active. They enjoy good lighting, perches, dry litter floor covering and space to move around. Whether raised indoors or with access to the outdoors, there’s a focus on providing for meat chickens’ behavioural and physical needs.
Assessment of farms against the Standards is a critical aspect of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme. RSPCA Approved farms are assessed by an RSPCA Assessor 2–4 times a year, the assessment team may also conduct unscheduled visits.
Turosi is proud to participate in the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme and takes pride in raising birds in an enriched environment.
BARN GROWN
Day old chicks are placed on dedicated broiler farms which are typically family owned and run.
Upon their arrival, they are housed in large, purpose built poultry barns and placed in the care of our passionate contract farmers. Here they will remain in modern, climate controlled and ventilated barns, with easy access to feed and water, until they reach the desired processing age, generally around 5 to 8 weeks.
Our farmers are dedicated to ensuring birds are well looked after. Our birds’ welfare is our highest priority. Turosi farming personnel, together with veterinarians and nutritionists, constantly monitor farms to ensure the highest standards of rearing chickens is being met.
There are NO CAGES on any farms contracted to Turosi and NO HORMONES are fed to Turosi chickens.
When it comes to feeding our chickens, it is important we get the balance just right. For this reason, all of our feed is specifically formulated by nutritionists whose focus is on achieving optimum bird health and well-being.
The feed consists of a number of ingredients including cereal grains such as wheat and sorghum, and protein meals such as soybean meal, supplemented by vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
TO MEET SOME OF OUR FARMERS CLICK HERE
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PRIMARY PROCESSING
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PRIMARY PROCESSING
Turosi has two poultry processing plants.
Built in 1977 and acquired in 2009, our plant at Breakwater, Geelong, Victoria produces the Golden Farms brand of chicken which is mainly distributed through major supermarkets, independent supermarkets, Quick Service Restaurants, as well as many other chicken outlets. Golden Farms employs approximately 400 people.
The La Ionica and Bannockburn brands are processed at our Thomastown Plant, in Victoria. This plant is based on the European method of “air chilling” and does not use spin chillers as a cooling method. This facility supplies mainly charcoal chicken outlets and specialty chicken stores and distributors. Approximately 350 people are employed at the Thomastown plant.
Each of our processing plants is registered and regularly audited by Primesafe Victoria, approved for export, and hold a number of other certifications as required by key customers and export bodies.
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VALUE ADDED
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VALUE ADDED
Our Geelong facility produces a number of fresh value added products for the retail, food service and QSR markets. Our production capabilities include: x-ray, injection marinating, coating and massaging. We produce in excess of 350 products daily at our two primary production facilities. Both our Geelong and Thomastown facilities are export registered and supply Free Range, RSPCA Approved and standard commercial products which gives our customers the opportunity to select a chicken product to suit their needs.
