This is part of a new series of blog posts for beginner gardeners. These posts may be a little shorter and more specific in nature.
The internet is full of gorgeous videos of Permaculture gardens, complete with chicken coops and runs, the chickens roaming about the garden during the day in suburban settings, and even in the city.
Experts tell us that a chicken should be allowed to free range so that she can catch pests and enrich her diet while she fertilizes your yard.
When one watches all the YouTube videos of large country homesteads teeming with chickens everywhere, one might assume that every chicken should not only be allowed to roam the garden, but also cross the proverbial gravel road.
I see chickens picking and scratching in drainage ditches and on roadsides, and sure enough, I never see evidence of them ever getting run over, while the road is littered with a sad array of dead possums, raccoons, cats, and the odd unfortunate coyote. I don’t know if chickens are smarter than we think, able to escape traffic, or if people are better at avoiding hitting them.
Now you’re probably wondering if I allow my chickens to roam freely, since I have a beautiful half-acre Permaculture garden, and the answer to that is no, in spite of pressure to let my hens enjoy a Permaculture paradise, I don’t let my chickens free range at all. Sounds selfish or mean, right? But there is a very good reason for it, and it’s not that I feel that the chickens make a mess.
I fence them in for their protection.
Our region abounds with predatory birds, raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, even cougars and a rare bear, not to mention the occasional neighborly dog. I’ve stood outside my chicken yard and watched as predatory hawks land on the fence posts of the chicken yard and look down into the yard at the scratching, waddling hens, hoping for a tasty, chubby, feathered snack. Not only do I have to keep my chickens in a fenced yard; I also have to keep a roof over one side of the yard, and netting over the other side.
I am aware that a free ranging hen does get more diverse and fresh nutrition than one who gets only commercial (even organic) feed. The free ranging hen scratches up grubs from the soil, picks up overripe fruit, eats falling seeds from mature plants, and samples everything she can find, all while tilling the soil and fertilizing it. Far from being vegetarians, these little dinosaurs eat small snakes, insects, even frogs and mice. (I don’t mind if my chickens eat a mouse, but frogs need protection.) This is certainly a better diet than just commercial feed.
They may dream of escape, but at least they're safe.
So, unless one has a good dog that will protect the chickens and not eat them, making it possible for them to free range, how can one ensure that the chickens get a rich and diverse diet?
There are a few things one can do.
First, I make chicken snacks.
I buy steel cut oats, whole oats, or another whole grain in bulk, and I use that as a base.
To make: put your grains (2-4 cups) in a bowl, add in some kelp flakes, some flax seed, some smashed up egg shells (pre bake these at 300 for 15 minutes or so to sterilize), and any old herbs that you want to get rid of. I use tired oregano, fading basil, maybe a sprinkle of chili powder or crushed dried peppers, some garlic powder (we grow a lot of garlic and always end up drying some), and some dried parsley. You can do this any way you want. I keep a gallon jar full of it and give them a handful every day or two, depending on how many chickens I have. There is no specific recipe. If you have tons of leftover thyme or a plethora of turmeric, add some of that.
When I do this, I achieve two things: I give the chickens some variety and a bit of herbal medicine, and I clean out my old tired-out herbs from my kitchen cabinet, keeping them out of the waste stream.
You can also add fresh food to their diet.
First, you can give them scraps from your kitchen – bread crumbs, old bread bits, veggie scraps (not potato peelings), the tough tips of garlic cloves, fruit peelings (except for banana), and leftovers that you don’t want. If you’re giving your hens your scraps and leftovers, it’s best to make sure they’re organic.
You can also give your hens weeds.
When I work in the yard, I pull off leaf miner-infested chard leaves and give those to the hens. When I find grubs, I toss them into the henyard. The chickens also get crummy kale leaves that I don’t want, trimmings from all sorts of plants (never give them toxic plants!), old lettuce and spinach, dandelions (a great favorite), dock, sorrel, plantain, purslane and even tufts of grass. I never give them spurge, which is deadly, or morning glory.
If you’re unsure about whether to give them a weed you’ve pulled, identify it and look it up!
If you have a mediocre watermelon, give them that. It has the added bonus of keeping them cool and hydrated on hot days.
These methods ought to give your hens a pretty full and healthy diet. Do make sure to give them some grit, which they would likely get in nature if they free ranged. They need it to mash up their food, since they don’t have teeth. Sure, it would be nice if they had more space to wander about, but this way my veggie garden is protected from chickens and my chickens are protected from predators.
It IS possible to give your hens both a varied diet and safety!
