Plenty to shell-ebrate this Easter!

Kath and Vern Howe don’t mind indulging in some chocolate eggs at Easter.

But they would rather be in the queue to grab some of Mt Roland Free Range Egg’s hyline chooks and know that Kath can continue to whip up sponge cakes using ‘real’ eggs and pass the excess onto family members.

Just like last year the Nook couple were among the hundreds of people who flocked to the picturesque farm at Roland to buy nearly one thousand chickens in just a matter of days.

For business owners Ange and Phil Glover it’s become an annual egg-stravaganza as they sell off their two-year-old chickens before the eggs get too big and the shells too soft to handle commercial production.

“In this business everything has to roll – the eggs roll to a collection point and the shells need to be able to withstand that without breaking,” Phil said.

“And once the eggs get too big they don’t pack easily into an egg carton.”

The Glovers have built a diverse and fascinating agri-tourism business on two properties they have purchased since 1988.

Adding to the excitement of chook and egg sales in March, the other side of the Glover’s business, Carinya Farmstay & The Barn, has added to a wall of state and national hospitality awards with success at the 2026 Tasmanian Wedding Awards – taking out the categories of best Farm and Country Wedding Venue, Boutique Wedding Accommodation, Elopements and Intimate Weddings and best Wedding Venue Coordinator.

The Barn has been remodelled as a function room and bar, the old dairy was turned into an amenities block, the stockyards became an outdoor entertainment area and another shed was decked out as a classic western saloon bar.

There are three accommodation choices, a menagerie of animals from highland cattle to alpacas to hang out with and stunning Mt Roland provides a stunning backdrop.

Ange’s flair for repurposing old farm treasures into fun decorator items is legendary – from light shades made from rusty barbed wire or milking cups to seating made from 44-gallon drums and old cast iron baths.

The couple have come a long way since buying the first farm to run as a small dairy.

After eight years milking cows, they found themselves outpaced by the big players and then tried various occupations, including retail in Sheffield, before Phil went to work for Ashgrove and Ange delved into hospitality.

Eventually Phil’s hobby of rearing heritage breed chickens morphed into something more solid.

“In 2013 demand for backyard chickens was really taking off and I sold about 1000 pullets that year,” Phil recalled.

“I started growing out hybrid layers and selling the eggs and then when a little egg farm at Forth was selling up I bought all 350 of their birds.

“After organising accreditation to sell commercially we both worked full-time for the next two years while the flock built up to 2500 hens and we had established ourselves at small local markets.”

When they went to Launceston’s Harvest Market and sold 550 dozen eggs in four hours – the Glovers knew there was a strong appetite for locally grown, free-range eggs.

“We’ve never once had to chase business,” Ange said.

“We supply cafes and restaurants, fruit and vege shops, butchers, health stores and small supermarkets like Hill Street and IGAs.

“During Covid it looked pretty grim for a few weeks and we had to shut down. But then table egg sales just went crazy.”

However nothing has proved as crazy as the response to their social media posts about chicken sales, with both the pandemic and egg supply shortages due to avian bird flue interstate sparking interest in backyard chooks.

“Hybrid layers can fetch up to $40 these days but we sell ours for $10 and that ensures they all find new homes,” Phil said.

Some happy customers report back that their chooks were laying eggs in the car on the way home!

The Hylines, which most people mistake for Isa Browns, lay more than 300 eggs a year on average.