Every day of my apprenticeship begins with tending the chickens at the farm. I grab a couple bags of feed and head out to the pasture, my cheeks tingling with the cool, crisp air; my boots drenched with dew. As the golden morning light slowly cascades over the wet grass, I greet our flocks of […]

Learn about biodigesters and how they can help you process chicken poop, from permaculture writer Jonathon Engels. Where there are chickens, or any animal for that matter, poop is sure to follow. While this is often erroneously referred to as waste, the fact is that we can do lots of very useful things with manure. […]

In this episode of the Community Chickens Podcasts, Amy Woodhouse, Jessi Bloom, and Patricia Foreman discuss the practice of keeping chickens as part of your permaculture plan. Our Podcast Guests Include: Amy Woodhouse, owner and farmer of Sow Edible Farm and Nursery in Warrenton NC, has a passion for leading and teaching others sustainable agricultural practices.  While […]

Permaculture writer Jonathon Engels shows how duck ponds can benefit both your water-loving fowl and the surrounding ecosystem. In permaculture design, we are constantly in search of ways to make things function on multiple levels. We like to have waste streams—gray water, kitchen scraps, spoiled animal bedding—cycle productively through our holistic systems, providing solutions rather than […]

Permaculture writer Jonathon Engels shares the Ins, Outs, and Whys of keeping chickens in your greenhouse. Why Put Chickens in the Greenhouse? In temperate climates, winter prevents us from growing fresh vegetables outside, but a greenhouse—even one that’s solely heated by solar power—allows us to foster some greens and cold-hardy treats to enjoy. Lettuce, spinach, […]

If you are interested in feeding your chickens for free, Jonathan Engels has 9 innovative ways for you to try in this poultry permaculture-focused Feature Article. About 50 million years ago, long before there were sacks of cracked corn or even farmers to distribute the grains, chickens were wild birds that inhabited the jungles of […]

Chickens Reimagined Chickens are egg-producing, garden-aerating, composting, fertilizing, little machines, i.e. the natural workhorses within a holistic system. Yet their multiple benefits for the homesteader are often overlooked. When designers plan an all-inclusive or permaculture property, they often “stack functions” by looking at… well… how to kill two birds with one stone.  Or how to […]

While most backyard chickens exist for the production of eggs and meat, compost is an equally valuable resource the chicken run can provide. Even better, the bulk of the labor is free, and copious amounts of compost pays in dividends. The birds are happier and healthier because there’s no better place to find insects and […]

In praise of chickens, I will say this: even on a cold, stormy day (and believe me we do have our share of storms here along the coast) after gearing up and fighting a path out to the animal sheds, there is something innately satisfying about chickens, tucked safely in their straw, bumbling a muted […]