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Chickens can either be a nuisance or a benefit to you and your garden. Here is how to garden with chickens so you can reap all the benefits they have to offer!

If you have chickens then there is a good chance you have (or want) a garden. I have both chickens and a garden and have found that they can benefit each other if you know what you’re doing.
I originally thought that my chickens would wander my garden freely eating my weeds and pests, but I soon found that this was not going to be the case.
After much trial and error with my chickens I found out that I can have chickens and a garden that benefit each other.
Ways chickens benefit the garden
While I originally thought that my chickens would just supply fertilizer for my garden I learned that there are many ways they can help me in the garden.
Composted Manure
Composted chicken bedding is one of the best things you can put in your garden! Chicken manure is full of essential nutrients that your garden needs.
I like to clean my chicken coop out and then compost all the bedding in a compost tumbler. After it’s done composting I then use it all around my plants and garden.

Don’t use direct chicken manure, though, because this can be too strong for your plants and kill them. Chicken manure has a high concentration of nitrogen in it.
Nitrogen is one of the main nutrients that plants need, but if they get too much, too quickly they will die or grow slowly.
Veggies and weeds turned into eggs
When you really think about it your chickens can turn food scraps into eggs! I always seem to get oversized produce during the summer, but I never let it go to waste.
I feed all the produce that is too big, a little rotten, or just not right to my chickens. When I weed the garden I also throw the weeds in the chicken coop.

It is amazing how quick chickens can eat a pile of weeds and produce. Just a note, I don’t put thistles in my chicken coop because they will not eat them and I don’t want them injuring themselves.
Chickens Spread anything
Chickens love to spread piles of literally anything! If you need mulch or compost spread around your garden simply let your chickens do it.
Fall Clean Up
Once my garden dies back during the fall I let my chickens in the garden to eat any leftover plants, produce, and insects.
My chickens will spend hours digging through the garden finding bugs and leveling the dirt. They also fertilize the garden so the soil is full of nutrients in the spring.
Eggshells for calcium
Save your eggshells and put them in your garden for an extra boost of calcium. Overtime, the crushed up eggshells will break down and release calcium into your soil.
You can throw them in the garden right after cracking them!
Ways the garden benefits chickens
Having a garden has helped me raise a healthy flock of chickens, and it has helped me buy less chicken feed. Here are some of the ways a garden can benefit your flock.
Fresh Food
During the summer my chickens get fed a lot from the garden. Like I said, they love to eat weeds and vegetables.

When you have chickens all those oversized vegetables can get turned into fresh eggs.
Insects
I like to pull pests like Japanese beetles and cucumber beetles off my plants when I see them. These insects can be fed to your chickens!
My chickens gobble up any garden pests that I give to them, and it also keeps my pest population under control.
Weeding
While I don’t let my chickens run free in my garden there are ways you can get them to weed your garden.
I have seen people use netting to create chicken tunnels in-between their garden rows. These tunnels can then be moved from day to day allowing the chickens to eat all the weeds and aerate the soil.
If you have a large garden your chickens could help you with the weeding.
Fresh Herbs
I like to feed my chickens herbs to keep them healthy and happy. When I have lots of fresh herbs I will place some in the chicken coop for my chickens to munch on.

Things I don’t let my chickens do in the garden
I have also found that chickens can ruin your plants and garden! I quickly found out that chickens love to eat everything in the garden.
I thought that I could let my chickens roam the garden all day. I tried this and soon found out that chickens also love to eat lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and basically every other plant in the garden.
After this experience I learned that a good fence to keep the chickens and other animals out was necessary. I now let my chickens in the garden during the fall and early spring when I am not growing anything.
If you have a garden but don’t have chickens (or the other way around) I recommend you get a few! Your chickens and your garden will thank you.
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