Raising chickens (the sustainable way)

Raising chickens can be eco-friendly! This guide shows you how to raise chickens for eggs or meat, and why pasture raising chickens is best.

Published on

December 12, 2023

Author:

Ren Elizabeth

Head Gardener at Eco Friendly Homestead

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When raised in the “standard” way chickens can cause huge environmental problems.

This standard way is confined in cages so that mass-production is possible. Additionally, it's often standard practice to not raise heritage breeds.

The biggest environmental impact of farming chickens comes down to mismanagement of their manure harming waterways (1).

Also, there is a large environmental impact from the production and shipment of their feed (up to 70% of their ghg emissions) (2). In fact, the majority of feed grown is set aside for poultry, at 40% (3).

However, there are lots of new studies that show different ways to reduce the carbon footprint of raising chickens. In this guide we'll lay out the facts so you can raise your own chickens sustainably.

You’ll learn:

how to lower the carbon footprint of raising chickens
ways to decrease feed costs + footprint
how to work with chicken manure safely in your garden

Sustainably source your chicken feed from local and organic mills

Reduce the carbon footprint of raising chickens by buying feed from organic and local suppliers — Reduce environmental cost of chicken feed by sourcing your supply from local and organic mills

To reduce the carbon footprint of your chicken’s feed, one of the best things you can do is to find a locally produced chicken feed. The environmental impact reduces even more if the feed is organic. This means less miles in transportation, and less harmful chemicals applied to crops in production. It’s likely that a locally produced chicken feed supports small farmers as well.

Here are some locally produced chicken feed brands by region:

Pacific Northwest:
Scratch n’ Peck feeds, Organic (my favorite for my hens!) (4)

California:
Modesto Milling

Midwest:
Countryside Natural Products
H + H Feed (Kansas)
Hiland Naturals (Iowa)

Southwest:
Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill (Texas)
pink rose organix (Texas)
San Tan Organics (Arizona)
Ranch-Way Feeds (Colorado)
Desert Oasis Farms (New Mexico)
Tuscon Organic Feed (Arizona)
Happy Hens Organic Feed (Colorado)

East Coast:
‍Green Mountain Feeds (Vermont)
Reedy Fork Farm (North Carolina)
lakeview organic grain (NY)
Fertrell Company (Pennslyvania)
The Mill of Bel Air (Maryland)

You may also wish to experiment with grain-free methods of feeding your chickens, as shown in this video showcasing the folks at Vermont Compost:

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Environmental benefits of grubs for the planet

Raise happy chickens - give them grubs! — Grubs are a tasty chicken treat

Grubs, or black soldier fly larvae, are able to consume large amounts of food waste, reducing the amount of organic waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. Additionally, grubs have a smaller carbon footprint and require less water and land to produce than traditional animal feed sources such as soybeans and corn. Using grubs as part of your chicken feed could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease the need for synthetic fertilizers, and reduce the amount of land used for agriculture (5).

Some chicken feed brands, such as Scratch n’ Peck, incorporate grubs into their products, and give you the option to buy grubs separately.

You can also go one step further and make your own grubs!

This video shows you how to raise your own grubs for your chickens:

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Pasture Raising Chickens: integrate pasture rotation of chickens for a lower carbon footprint

Benefits of keeping chickens — Pasture-raised chickens benefit your garden

When chickens have access to an outside area, they are able to source some of their food from the land. While they’re at it, their manure fertilizes the soil to support existing plants within the system.

When chickens are allowed in areas close to the garden, or in the garden areas before a crop is planted or after it is removed, they can help reduce the pest population and remove unwanted weeds (6).

This project in Oregon found that Red Ranger Chickens, a meat bird, ate 100% of the pests in an area they were in for 24 hours (7).

pasture raising chickens — you can raise sustainable chickens!

Rotational pasture system for chickens can have a positive environmental impact

Raise chickens on pasture — 30% less feed necessary with pasture-rotated chickens

An article on Hobby Farms looks at the system of Shawn Jadrnicek, a farmer who raises 40 chickens on a rotating pasture system on 1/4 acre lot.

He did this by swapping his lawn for poultry-feed options, and in doing so has reduced his dependency on store-bought grain by 30%.

He has seven sections of land, each around 7400 sq ft. This size is big enough for the chickens to graze for 6-12 days before being moved on to the next section. This allows for each section to get a few months to rest and regenerate before the chickens come back through the cycle.

If you’re looking to get your own poultry fencing and aren’t sure about sizes, this article found that a 1700 sq ft zone needs at least 150 feet of fencing. 100 feet of fencing can cover 800 sq ft, and 50 feet of fencing can wrap around a 200 sq ft area.

He keeps them enclosed in electric poultry netting, which keeps predators out and keeps the chickens in their set area. He keeps the border of one zone the same as a border of the next zone, so that it only takes him 10 minutes to get the fencing ready for the next spot in the rotation (8).

You can find a full kit for electric poultry netting here at Tractor Supply.

The length available would give you enough to emulate Jadrnickek’s 1700 sq ft pasture system for 40 chickens.

Chicken tractor system for sustainable backyard chickens

A chicken tractor is an enclosed shelter that can be moved around your land easily. It is usually recommended to move the tractor once a day so that the chickens do not overgraze the area.

The benefits of a chicken tractor system is that it’s more predator proof - birds of prey can’t swoop down and get your chickens. It’s also less likely for chickens to get out and into areas that you don’t want them in your yard or garden.

You can see a chicken tractor in action here:

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Plant forage for your chickens and provide them with locally sourced feed to help reduce ghg emissions

If you’re practicing cover cropping as a part of your farm or garden, chickens can help you clear out the crop while providing additional fertilizer for the area (9).

Select efficient chicken breeds to lower feed costs + emissions

backyard chickens adapted to foraging

Egg layers:

Hamburg — Of Turkish origin, this winter hardy breed was further developed in Europe as an excellent forager and capable flier.

Leghorn — Developed in Italy, this breed efficiently converts feed to eggs and is heat tolerant; the brown variety is best suited to foraging.

Old English Game — This ancient breed is active and hardy and is often seen foraging along rural roads or roosting in trees.

Welsumer — Developed in Holland, this active, winter hardy breed is especially good at foraging for insects (10).

chickens that lay a lot of eggs so that you need less laying hens and thus need to bring in less feed

Quick maturing meat birds:

Cornish
Plymouth Rock
New Hampshire (11)
Red Rangers are efficient foragers and will help with pest control (12).

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how to raise chickens for eggs — Chickens free-ranging on pasture is better for the environment

Environmental benefits of chicken manure

Benefits of chicken manure for your garden — A key tenet of keeping sustainable chickens is proper manure management

According to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Management, using chicken manure instead of inorganic fertilizer can have a positive impact on soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The study found that using chicken manure increased soil organic carbon and nitrogen, improved soil pH, and reduced soil erosion compared to using inorganic fertilizer.

Additionally, the production and application of chicken manure resulted in lower greenhouse gas emissions than the production and application of inorganic fertilizer. The study concluded that using chicken manure as a fertilizer is a sustainable option for small-scale farmers (13).

Work with chicken manure safely in your garden

To work with chicken manure safely in your garden, it's important to compost the manure before applying it to crops.

According to the Tilth Alliance and PennState Extension, to use poultry manure safely, the following guidelines should be followed:

Compost the manure before use to reduce the risk of contamination and to allow the nutrients to break down and become more available to plants.
Test the soil regularly to ensure that the nutrients from the manure are being absorbed properly. This can be done using a soil test kit or by sending soil samples to a testing lab.
Limit the amount of manure used to avoid excess nutrient runoff, which can pollute nearby water sources.
Avoid using raw manure on crops that will be eaten raw, such as lettuce or strawberries.
Wait at least 120 days after applying composted manure before harvesting any crops.

To compost poultry manure, the following steps can be taken:

Collect the manure in a covered bin or compost pile.
Mix the manure with other carbon-based organic material, such as leaves or straw, to create a balanced compost.
Turn the compost regularly to ensure that it heats up to a high temperature. This will help kill harmful bacteria and pathogens.
Test the compost for nutrient balance before use.

By following these guidelines, poultry manure can be used safely and effectively as a garden amendment (16, 17).

Let chickens help you with your compost pile

In the video, the Sean of Edible Acres explains that using chicken manure improperly can lead to contamination of crops and water sources with harmful bacteria.

He is able to get multiple wheelbarrow-fulls of compost out of this system a week!

Bay 1: To start, raw food scraps + homemade charcoal are placed in the first area.

Bay 2: With a manure fork, turn the compost from bay 1 to the next section. Mix with grain in this bay in addition to raw weed scraps. The grain will sprout and the compost will start to heat up.

Bay 3: Turn soil from Bay 2 into Bay 3. This is the Primary Compost Finishing Area. Continue turning so that any weed seeds can germinate and chickens can eat it. It takes three weeks to get to this place.

Bay 4: Turn compost from Bay 3 into Bay 4, the Final Compost Finishing Area. Let compost rest and then add it to your garden!

By following these steps, Edible Acres creates a safe system for using chicken manure as fertilizer for crops.

The basics of raising sustainable chickens

In summary, there are a few techniques you can apply to how you raise your chickens to increase sustainability and environmental benefits.

Key takeaways are to source chicken feed locally, feed chickens grubs, and let chickens eat in a pasture-rotation system and have them support the fertility of your garden.

Incorporate these sustainable practices into your chicken care, and you can raise healthy and happy chickens while also tending to the land and environment.