Josh's Rainbow Eggs
| Name: | Josh's Rainbow Eggs |
| Address: | 41 Chintin Road, Monegeetta VIC 3433, Australia |
| LGA/Council: | Macedon Ranges Shire Council |
| Summary: | Josh's Rainbow Eggs is an chicken egg farm located in Monegeetta, VIC Australia. |
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| Last known status: | Open and operating |
| Listing updated: | 2026 |
| Listing ID: | fb35c |
| Website: | https://www.joshsrainboweggs.com.au |
| View on map: |
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Farm (eggs)
ChickensProudly advertising themselves as ‘truly free range, ethical eggs’, Josh’s Rainbow Eggs is known around Australia as an ethical alternative to mainstream caged egg production. With multiple awards for sustainable and ethical business operations, their farms in the Macedon Ranges are presented as a paradise where happy hens roam freely and are allowed to live in small flocks and spend their days in the sunshine.
When anonymous investigators visited Josh’s farms in 2025, the reality was far different.
Hens were found with missing feathers and wounds - signs of feather pecking due to close confinement and boredom. When investigators returned, just weeks later, boards photographed at the farm showed that over 100 birds had died in a single shed since their last visit.
Missing feathers can also be an indication that birds are moulting, a natural process which is forced in factory farms through controlled lighting and starvation. Starvation is a technique commonly used on factory farms at the end of a hen’s first laying cycle to improve the productivity and quality of eggs in subsequent cycles. Ex-workers have revealed to Farm Transparency Project that Josh’s Rainbow Eggs use starvation to induce forced moulting in hens. Forced moulting is not permitted under RSPCA approved standards.
Josh’s Rainbow Eggs are sold at Coles and Woolworths as well as independent supermarkets.
After receiving testimony from ex-workers describing demeaning conditions and animal cruelty, and footage from their farms showing sick and dead hens, we contacted Josh's Rainbow Eggs, asking them to remove the word 'ethical' from their website, packaging and signage. We also cast doubt on their claim that they rehome all their ex-laying hens, which was proudly displayed on their website up until the day before we published our investigation.
After we published our investigation, Josh's removed all uses of the word 'ethical' from their website. They also removed their claim that they rehomed their old hens, replacing it with a statement that since May 2024 they have been sending their ex-laying hens to the slaughterhouse, where they are slaughtered for human consumption.
For over 1.5 years, Josh's Rainbow Eggs have been lying to their consumers, telling them that ethical egg production is a priority for the company and that their hens go on to live happy lives. Now we know the truth, but Josh's still has a lot to answer for.
Campaigns (2)
Photos (115)
Videos (13)
Documents (0)
Advocacy materials (17)
News (5)
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Eggs Uncaged - The reality of 'ethical' eggs
Sunday 1 Feb 2026 by
Free-range, cage-free - we went behind the labels to expose the real cost of 'ethical' eggs. A sick hen at South Gippsland Eggs (Farm Transparency Project, 2025) Roughly 55% of the 19 million Australian egg-laying hens are raised in cage systems, where birds are kept behind bars for their entire lives. On cage farms, hens can be allowed as little as 550cm2 of space, roughly the size of an A4 piece of paper. The other 45% of egg-laying hens are raised in cage-free systems, a loose umbrella term that covers both certified free-range production systems, as well as 'barn-laid' egg farms where hens... Read more >
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Egg industry refuses to respond to animal activists’ footage
Tuesday 9 Dec 2025 by
Australia’s egg industry has refused to respond to disturbing footage showing dead and dying hens at Victorian free-range farms, with members told to stay silent. Read more >
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Have you been deceived by Josh's Rainbow Eggs?
Saturday 6 Dec 2025 by
This year we uncovered that Victorian free-range egg producer Josh's Rainbow Eggs had been deceiving the public with their 'ethical' labelling. After receiving testimony from ex-workers and footage from their farms showing sick and dead hens, we contacted Josh's Rainbow Eggs, asking them to remove the word 'ethical' from their website, packaging and signage. We also cast doubt on their claim that they rehome all their ex-laying hens, which was proudly displayed on their website up until the day before we published our investigation. After we published our investigation, Josh's removed all uses of the word 'ethical' from their... Read more >
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Demeaning conditions and animal cruelty: ex-workers speak up about Josh's Rainbow Eggs
Wednesday 3 Dec 2025 by
If you'd asked me at the start of the year to tell you about Josh's Rainbow Eggs, you likely would have been met with a blank stare. After quitting eggs (and all animal products) in 2016, the meteoric rise of young Josh and his 'ethical eggs' had escaped my attention, even as they became staples on supermarket shelves. So when I sat down at my desk earlier in the year, the last thing I expected was to see the farm's name in the subject line of an email. Josh's Rainbow Eggs started in 2009 when nine-year old Josh started selling... Read more >
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Ex-worker's statements - Josh's Rainbow Eggs (Summer & Winter)
Tuesday 2 Dec 2025 by
Statement - Summer The following statement was provided to Farm Transparency Project by an Ex-worker at Josh's Rainbow Eggs. This worker chose not publicly share their name or identifying details. We will refer to them as Summer. Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to share my personal experiences during my employment at the farm "Josh's Rainbow Eggs." During my time there, I witnessed conditions that, in my view, clearly violate animal welfare standards and are wholly inconsistent with the farm's marketing as "ethical free range." Although the eggs are sold under a "free range" label, the hens... Read more >
Media releases by FTP (3)
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Major free-range egg producer acknowledges 18-month long deception
Monday 8 Dec 2025
Major free-range egg producer, Josh's Rainbow Eggs has publicly acknowledged that they have been misleading consumers with claims that they rehome all their ex-layer hens. A photo of a dead hen at Josh's Rainbow Eggs. Image: Farm Transparency Project (2025) Following an investigation by animal protection group Farm Transparency Project (FTP), which included testimony from ex-workers and footage of dead and sick hens taken inside the sheds at Josh's Rainbow Egg's Monegeetta farm, the business made changes to their website to remove multiple instances of the word 'ethical' and to add a statement saying that, since May 2024 they have been... Read more >
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Ex-workers allege animal cruelty and worker mistreatment at Josh's Rainbow Eggs
Wednesday 3 Dec 2025
Farm Transparency Project has published allegations of starvation, mistreatment and forced moulting from ex-workers at major free-range egg producer, Josh's Rainbow Eggs. Two ex-workers claim that the farm made them clean machinery with toothbrushes and treated workers as 'expendable.' Workers also claim that the farm uses starvation to force moulting in egg-laying hens. Photos of dead hens at Josh's Rainbow Eggs. Photo: provided by ex-worker. Animal advocacy group Farm Transparency Project (FTP) has published two statements from ex-workers at so-called 'ethical egg' producer Josh's Rainbow Eggs, which is sold in major supermarkets around Victoria. The ex-workers claims that... Read more >
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Death, overcrowding and cannibalism at major free-range egg producers
Tuesday 2 Dec 2025
Animal protection organisation releases new footage showing widespread mistreatment of chickens on free-range and cage-free egg farms in Victoria. The footage, captured at five free-range and two barn-laid egg farms, shows sick, injured and dead hens, including ones that have been left to rot in sheds. The footage was captured by anonymous investigators earlier in the year. New footage published by Farm Transparency Project (FTP) shows chickens living in filth amongst dead and dying hens, across seven free-range and barn-laid egg farms in Victoria, including suppliers to major supermarkets. Footage from the farms shows overcrowded sheds, chickens with serious wounds,... Read more >
Nearby facilities (1)
Facilities within a 5km radius.
