MORE than 16,000 chickens will be going ‘cheep’ tomorrow as an Oxfordshire farmer hatches a cracking plan for charity.

Peter Reade is calling on all smallholders, farmers, shop owners and omelette lovers to make their way to his farm and shell out £1 for a prime aged laying hen.

The arable, beef and egg farmer, from Faringdon, is one of the founding Christian farmers of the Send a Cow project, which gives agricultural assistance to poor farmers in seven countries in Africa.

Mr Reade bought the chickens for eggs and manure after visiting a charity farm project in Africa. Now, all the profits he makes from the sale will be ploughed back in to boost the charity coffers.

He said: “After seeing how well chicken manure transforms the land in Africa I wanted to buy some for my own farm – and they have worked wonders on my soil.

“Each chicken lays about an egg a day meaning I am now left with more eggs than I can eat so I am donating the sales to Send a Cow as it is a fantastic agricultural charity.

“All the chickens are free range hybrid Lohmanns and are only just over a year old, meaning they are at prime laying age.”

The farm has been selling eggs from the birds to a supermarket chain which only accepts them on a 12 month contract. Now they have reached the end of the cycle, Mr Reade must sell them off before buying more.

The money from the sale will go to help African farmers grow enough food to feed their families, sell their produce and develop small scale businesses.

Send a Cow does this by providing livestock, seeds, training and ongoing support.

Lohmann hens are considered excellent egg-layers and are ideally suited for domestic or small scale use. They usually retail at about £9 per bird, and produce large brown eggs with strong shells.

If the birds are kept well fed and healthy, they should produce around 330 or more eggs a year at the peak of lay.

Mr Reade and his daughter Shona Webb will open up their farm between 8am and 4pm so people can make the most of the charity eggstravaganza.

Mrs Webb said: “The eggs the hens produce are absolutely delicious – I think we all probably eat too many of them.

“By supermarket standards most of the eggs would be considered large, although there are a few small and mediums coming out too.

“I would recommend people come down here and grab themselves a bargain.”

The chicken sale takes place at Oxleaze Farm Woolstone, Faringdon, Oxfordshire between 8am and 4pm.