
Ashleigh Smith

Why Are Chickens Good For Gardens?
Chickens have been a natural source of organic fertilizer since their existence began. Chickens provide nitrogen-rich manure to naturally enrich your garden soil. In addition to providing fertilizer, free range chickens also lightly till the top inch of the soil. This light tillage, chicken scratch really, allows your seeds to better germinate and root out.
During this process chickens are also able to quickly get pest populations under control by consuming insects in their adult forms, as well as eggs, larvae, and pupae stages. Machine till practices often damage the natural soil structure that is ideal for plant growth and perpetuate pest issues. Ideally, chickens are used to prepare planting areas as well as create a continued source of compost material throughout the year.
Why Are Cover Crops Good For Chickens?
Cover crops provide chickens with a natural, organic, and nutritious source of feed. They eat the top growth of the cover crop they take in the high density nutrients found in young plants and turn it into nitrogen-rich fertilizer. As they do this they lightly till the top of your soils preparing your planting area for seed sowing. Because their tillage is very superficial the root systems of the cover crops are allowed to break down, further contributing to a nutrient-rich soil with a healthy soil structure.
After your cover crop has reached 3-5 inches tall, introduce your chickens to the growing area. At this stage the plants are at their optimal stage for chicken digestion. As the plants grow beyond 5 inches, their carbon composition become less digestible. It is important that your chickens aren't introduced to the growing area until the crop has been established. Introducing the chickens too early will result in a poor crop.
Best Cover Crops For Natural Chicken Feed:
- Alfalfa
- Clover
- Annual Rye
- Kale
- Cowpeas
- Rabe
- New Zealand Clover
- Turnips
- Mustard
- Buckwheat
- Grain Grasses
Ideally cover crops and chickens are used as pieces in a larger picture. The soil is key in creating a healthy, productive garden. Together cover crops and chickens work to produce the nutrients needed for your main-season garden crops, preserve soil structure, reduce soil erosion over time, control pests, and increase the organic mattercontent and water retention properties of your soil.
Fast Facts About Chickens In the Veggetable Garden:
1 Chicken produces 8 lbs of manure a month = enough to compost 1 cyd of leaves
Balanced manure and compost mix: 1 lb chicken manure for every 45 lbs of leaves
Chickens till 50 square feet of sod in 4-6 weeks
1 Chicken = nitrogen fertilizer for 50 square feet of garden in a month
Chickens can eat ¼ to ⅓ lbs of food waste in a day = flock of 6 consuming 60 lbs of food waste in a month
Chickens can de-bug 120 square feet a week
About the Author

I'm Ashleigh Smith, a native to Northern Utah. I first gained a love of gardening with my grandmother as I helped her each summer. I decided to make a career of it and have recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University - Idaho. My studies have focused on plant production while I also have experience in Nursery & Garden Center Operations.
Become a True Leaf Market Brand Ambassador! You’ll enjoy awesome perks, free products and exclusive swag & offers! Help us create a gardening revolution and help others experience the joy of growing!
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
9 comments
Katie
Love this! It’ll be a challenge keeping my flock away from the crop cover while it grows though! Nevertheless I’m really excited to throw some down this fall!
Natalie
It’s definitely a goal of ours to get a small piece of land and include chickens with our agricultural system! Blog post had great info!
Renee
New to this. More of a question, so we would plant this “cover crop” let the chickens eat it and fertilize the area, then grow our good harvestable crop like tomatoes?
Elizabeth
This was a timely post for me, I have just been researching the topics of using chickens and gardens in symbiosis. Thank you!
Jess
Such a great article! We are in the process of redoing our chicken yard, and this blog gave us some great tips!
Kari
Chickens are such an integral part of regenerative agriculture! I love the concept of feeding your birds through cover cropping while simultaneously nourishing the soil. Great article!
Jessy Hazelip
I have 6 chickens and I knew a lot of what you wrote in the article. I do love the list of cover crops I can grow for them. I had no idea they could de big an area like this. This was a great article.
Connie Gore
Thanks for the info, I hope to have chickens next year!
Julie Schmit
Great info for when I get chickens next spring. Definitely saving this blog post.
Further Reading
2023 Giving Tuesday Recap
Every year, it seems that the message of Giving Tuesday is reaching more and more people. What a beautiful thing it is to be able to serve the people both within your community and others around the world. If Giving Tuesday is new to you, welcome. This...
Ashleigh Smith
2023-12-062 min read0The Types and Benefits of Homemade Tea
Written By Lara Wadsworth Tea of some kind has been drunk somewhere in the world for at least 5,000 years. This simple yet comforting drink is ingrained in human culture. However, there are so many different kinds of tea and ways to make it that it can...
Ashleigh Smith
2023-12-056 min read0Christmas Wheatgrass Tradition
Published December 5, 2022 There are many traditions associated with Christmas. Hanging stockings, singing carols, giving gifts, etc. Did you know it is also a traditional custom to grow wheatgrass for your Christmas table? In Croatia, you will commonl...
Ashleigh Smith
2023-12-045 min read6Discovering the Festival of Lights: Hanukkah's History and Traditions
Written By Chelsea Hafer Often referred to as the Festival of Lights, hanukkah is a radiant celebration that illuminates the winter season with hope, unity, and tradition. Can you feel the warm glow of candlelight, the sizzle of potato latkes, and the ...
Ashleigh Smith
2023-11-295 min read0