Using Poultry in a Regenerative Garden

As people work toward living a more healthful lifestyle for themselves and the planet, we are hearing a lot about regenerative agriculture. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it involves using practices that improve soil organic matter and biodiversity. These practices can restore fertility to soil, help reduce the need to water, and draw down carbon.

How do poultry fit in?

You may not be able to rely on poultry alone for a fully regenerative garden or farm, but your flocks can definitely play a role in restoring nutrients, organic matter, and biodiversity to your soil. 

Ways to use poultry to improve your soil:

• Chickens make great surface tillers and, if not kept in the same area for too long, can reduce your reliance on mechanical tilling, which can be disruptive to beneficial microbes like mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil.
• Use chicken tractors or moveable poultry fencing to move your birds to fresh pasture. Frequent moves, often 1-3 days depending on the type of birds, the size of the flock, and the grazing area, allow them to fertilize the soil within their space and eat bugs for pest control and free protein.
• Clean the coop. Compost soiled bedding to use in your garden or apply it directly to the garden in the fall or winter, but allow it to age there for at least 3 to 4 months before planting or harvesting.
  

Consider cover crops and allow your chickens to graze them before planting time.

• White or Crimson Clover stays short, is easy to graze, fixes nitrogen, and helps to provide those dark yolks we love.
• Alfalfa can provide your flock with a high-protein meal while its deep roots break up compacted soil and create pathways for air and water below the surface.
• Buckwheat will grow quickly in the summer and can provide your flock with nutritious seeds that include high levels of lysine and methionine, which support muscle development and feathering. Buckwheat can also help to increase vitamin E in egg yolks and improve eggshell strength, but too much, especially of the greens, may lead to UV-sensitivity and sunburn on birds with light colored skin. Buckwheat can help suppress weeds by creating a shade canopy quickly and making phosphorus and calcium available for future plants. 
• Oats are a cool-season grass that can offer tender early spring grazing while providing your soil with plenty of root biomass. 

I’ve watched colors in the lawn go from pale and sad to dark green and vibrant as a tractor has moved down the line, so even if you don’t garden, your chickens can still help you on a step toward regenerating soil. Whether you have only poultry or other animals too, consider giving your flocks a try in rotations to help rebuild productive soil.