Orchard Eggs: 96% Fewer Wild Birds With AVIX Autonomic Laser Systems

When wild birds put Orchard Eggs’ free-roaming chickens at risk of avian flu exposure, the East Sussex farm needed a solution that actually worked. AVIX Autonomic laser bird control was the answer, cutting invasive wild bird numbers by 96%.

Orchard Eggs is a family-run organic farm in Forest Row, East Sussex, where flocks roam freely across an orchard setting. Wild pigeons, crows and pheasants gathered on the farm between January and April, foraging from dusk till dawn and putting both the chickens and staff at risk of avian flu exposure.

Farms with free-range flocks in the UK are subject to strict biosecurity requirements during periods of elevated avian flu risk, which can include netting outdoor areas or housing birds indoors depending on the specific measures in force at the time. Neither option worked well for Orchard Eggs. At 60 acres, the farm was too large to net, and its biodynamic methods relied on the flock roaming freely around the clock. The farm needed a different way to reduce wild bird contact without confining its own chickens.

Owner Daniel Hoeberichts first read about laser bird deterrence in a newspaper article citing reductions of 70 to 100%. Within weeks he arranged to trial the AVIX Autonomic on the farm, running it from January to April 2016 to test whether it could genuinely reduce wild bird presence around the chickens.

Daniel was sceptical at first. He noticed fewer birds on the farm but wasn’t convinced the change was down to the laser, so he removed the system as a test. Within a month, the birds had returned, which settled the question for him and his colleagues: the AVIX Autonomic was doing the job.

The system suited the farm’s needs in ways netting couldn’t:

The AVIX Autonomic has been in use at Orchard Eggs since January 2017. Daily wild bird numbers fell from around 50 to just 2, a 96% reduction. With far fewer wild birds foraging near the flock, the risk of avian flu exposure dropped sharply, hygiene improved through fewer droppings, and the personal safety risk to staff handling the birds was reduced.

“The Autonomic helped us to protect our chickens from avian flu spread by invasive wild birds. We are very happy with the system!”

Daniel Hoeberichts, Owner, Orchard Eggs

Daniel was convinced enough by the results that he projected the laser onto a neighbouring farm to demonstrate it. His neighbour saw the same effect and went on to get their own unit.

The AVIX Autonomic offers a practical way to support biosecurity on farms where netting or housing flocks indoors isn’t feasible, giving farmers a way to reduce wild bird contact while keeping their own animals free-range.