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Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass http://www.discoverpermaculture.com

Question

Do you have any suggestions for the best ways to supplement the feed of chickens who range? Would you provide feed all day or only a certain amount of time? We are learning how to do this as we go. We have our chickens currently grazing our cover crops through the vineyards and olive orchards, it isn’t as balanced as a diet as your video mentions, so we supplement a raw seed feed throughout the day for them to have a choice and get a balanced diet. The chickens themselves are new to rotational grazing and are pretty dependent on the feed as that is what they are accustomed to.

Key Takeaways

If chickens are on the range, they won’t need much. For more egg production, you can supplement their feed. There are lots of ways to do it: worm farms, attract insects, lay down sheets of iron/tin and pull them up, black soldier larvae farms, maggot farms, fly traps, and compost. You can also forage for them. They’ll get used to the range. If they aren’t getting feed, they will scratch more and find food. You could put in a feed crop as well. It’s more a matter of getting more eggs or not.

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About Geoff:

Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world’s major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.

About Permaculture:

Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.

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