By Lucy Rabone.

A HEREFORDSHIRE business is urging people to support local producers as businesses begin their recovery after the coronavirus lockdown.

Ally Prince of Llangrove has been keeping birds for over four years, and has been kept busy through lockdown providing free-range chicken, duck and quail eggs.

“It all began when someone gave me a dove, then three more - I now have 40 doves! I have chickens of many different breeds, including some rescue ranger hens, frizzle crosses, pekin bantams, faveroles, appenzellers, speckledies, silkies, and brahmas. I also have runner ducks, Californian quails, budgies, and a silver-back pheasant,” Ally said.

Ally said she wants everyday people to be able to buy local free-range eggs, at an affordable price. Her efforts are to promote local produce, as well as deter people from buying caged chicken eggs, where the birds are not looked after.

All her birds are free-range, and kept outdoors. Ally is bird-crazy, and so she is always developing new projects on her huge aviary, coops and runs. The birds are taken care of, taken to the vets regularly and, most importantly, loved – even more so during lockdown, as she has been at home a lot more.

Many of her customers buy quail eggs to hatch, with customers coming from Newent, Cheltenham, and even as far as Bristol to buy them in addition to local customers.

As well as private customers, Ally sells to businesses, including Ross-on-Wye’s organic shop, as well as the new plastic-free shop in Monmouth. She has received a lot of positive feedback from her customers, one even bought 60 quail eggs, which hatched, and so they bought 60 more.

“A quail needs 12 hours of daylight to lay eggs. Although much smaller than chicken eggs, quail eggs are higher in protein and actually better for you,” Ally said.

Each day, approximately 40 chicken eggs, nine duck eggs, and 20 quail eggs are laid at Ally’s Llangrove home.

She sells her chicken eggs at £1 for half a dozen, duck eggs at £1.50 for half a dozen, and quail eggs at £1.50 for a dozen. To buy some local free-range eggs, find Ally on Facebook Marketplace.