testimonials

​"Michael from Poultry Works has a wealth of knowledge about everything poultry. He is very easy to work with and very supportive and understanding. If you are a Free Range Pastured Egg Farmer I would recommend Poultry Works most highly. Poultry Works have ensured we now have the knowledge and skills to make our farming enterprise profitable, rewarding and resilient".
Leisa Newnham
​Allandale Pastured Free Range Eggs
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"I would recommend Poultry Works to any fellow pastured producers if you have questions about your operation. Definitely value for money with the information Michael has".
Stuart Andrews
​Forage Farms


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​“Every time I have used Michael’s services I learn something new, our production system improves, profit starts to go in the right direction and all of this takes the stress out of what I do.”
Fiona Smith
​Working with Nature Pastured Eggs Guyra

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“As far as we are concerned, what Michael Sommerlad doesn’t know about raising poultry isn’t worth worrying about. He has been an invaluable and value for money source of information for all aspects of our pastured poultry business from brooding through to nutrition, housing, animal health, genetics etc. “
Ray and Samantha Palmer 
Symara Farm 

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​"Michael's knowledge and enthusiasm for poultry is an invaluable asset to our business. We run quite a unique free range poultry farm, without Michael's involvement the business would not be where it is today. Whilst always striving for the 'ideal' Michael is very aware of how we want to run the enterprise and is always accommodating to the stage of where our small business is currently at".
Sam and Prue Pincott
Holbrook Paddock Eggs

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"Michael from Poultry Works provided poultry management advice to me for several years when developing a 9 shed organic free-range layer business on the Darling Downs. His input at the planning stage was invaluable as was his experience and advice to attend to the basics first and attend to fine-tuning aspects as we went. We would rely heavily on Michael to help with feed, poultry health & behavioural issues as well as production targets and manipulating inputs and decisions to achieve them. Michael was always punctual and interested in family and I would not hesitate to commend Michael’s services to anyone wishing to add the professional touch to their poultry business."
Ian Moss
​Farm Agronomy and Resource Management

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"Mount Sylvia Diatomite has been associated with Michael Sommerlad and his company Poultry Works since 2006 when my business partner, Guy Lewington and I purchased Mount Sylvia Mining. When we acquired the company, we were aware of the value of diatomite in animal nutrition and parasite control but also knew that there was very little hard data on this available anywhere. Most of the information, and there was a fair amount of it available on Internet sites, was little better than anecdotal. Michael came highly recommended as the go to man for advice on poultry nutrition. Over a period of about 3 years Michael, whom we appointed as our consultant, organised and even conducted a number of trials for us including a program by QLD DPI on the Darkling Beetle and some smaller trials on the effectiveness of our Absorbacide product on parasitic worms in poultry and sheep. He even conducted a trial for us, which investigated the effect on growth of our Purasil product on the growth of some Brassicas. Michael also helped us with some of our marketing. Through his extensive network of industry contacts he was able to identify new sales opportunities for us and introduced us to a number of key individuals in industries to which we previously had no access. In my experience, individuals like Michael are a rarity. The combination of scientific training, industry experience, marketing skills and unquestioned integrity make him almost uniquely suited to consult across a wide range of the agricultural spectrum."
Ian Neering PhD
Director, Mount Sylvia Diatomite


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"Michael has already contributed significantly to the commercial poultry industry with his work on outdoor and alternative production system as both retailers and consumer demand for free range and organically fed birds has increased.Now he combines his outdoor rearing experience with slower growing genetics to produce a table bird sure to appeal to foodies and the high end restaurant sector alike. Poultry Digest wishes Michael the success he deserves with his new enterprise."
Peter Bedwell
Publisher, Poultry Digest



"We are newcomers to your service. I find Michael's answers to my questions the most helpful so far. We attempt to use the most natural methods possible and Michael's knowledge is helping fill gaps in nutrition and husbandry we are experiencing. If we had come across him earlier I am sure knowledge would have saved us learning some things through experience."
Cris & Lee-Anne Geri
Rawganix Farm


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​"Michael was introduced to me post his involvement with the Poultry CRC operating at the time from the Tamworth institute. From our first discussions; Michael presented to me as a man with great integrity and interest and motivation in involving himself in any actions that would be supportive of the poultry sector of industry, indeed Australia wide. From that initial meeting and from all experiences since the first impressions have been sustained and further enhanced from our association. He is a rare find in the industry with an eclectic knowledge that I have not found in any other person I am acquainted with from this sector of industry. His thoughts opinions and judgements are valued and are a distinct advantage to the education practice I preside over."
Max Noy
Principal, Active Industry Training Ltd
​02 4393 6900



​"To whom it may concern, Michael has assisted us in developing high production organic farming systems across Australia and Internationally. He is meticulous in his preparation with years of on-farm practical poultry experience. I would recommend him to any farming operation or business interested in quality egg and poultry meat production. Like all quality food production, flavour and nutritional quality requires a thorough understanding of genetics, nutrition and soil science. Michael is one professional who understands that building a quality brand requires a solid foundation. For this reason he is a leader in his field."
Adam Willson
Director, Soil Systems Australia


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​"Michael has a high degree of innate intelligence, and is a very creative person with the capacity for self education and continuous learning. He has a naturally enquiring mind that is stimulated by novel ideas and approaches, but still retains the capacity to question his own assumptions. This makes him a natural scientist and technical innovator.Michael has acquired a great depth of experience of the technologies utilised in the Commercial Poultry Industry, but also has a fundamental love of matters poultry and avian. Combining these two interests has resulted in Michael embarking on a creative, but long term Poultry Genetics initiative. This project is investigating genetic assortments of elite Commercial Meat Chickens with novel genes available in Pedigree Poultry Stock. The project is a remarkable initiative on a global basis and is likely to be very important for genetic conservation of poultry.On a personal front, he has a strong empathy for other people, with a forthright manner, which makes him easily understood. He communicates well, because these traits are combined with a positive and gentlemanly predisposition. He has a very strong commitment to ideas and projects, which enables him to see the course in most endeavours that he undertakes."
Dr. Greg Parkinson
Livorno Consulting
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"Michael’s solid background in poultry and his openness to new possibilities and options has helped him climb from the backyard advisory level to an operator who recognises the sustainable requirements of the eco-green shoppers and knows how producers can best meet them. Michael’s experience in organic and free range management puts him in a key position to advise and assist poultry producers servicing new niche markets."
Megg Miller
Editor, Australasian Poultry Pty Ltd​​

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"I have known Michael Sommerlad for approximately 20 years in his company PoultryWorks, as a member of the World’s Poultry Science Association and as a student at the University of New England. Michael is a very bright person who thinks deeply about things poultry and has a very wide knowledge. In addition, he is a very personable and decent person to deal with."

Juliet R Roberts
Associate Professor Animal Science
School of Environmental & Rural Science​
​University of New England