“You don’t have a snail problem, you have a duck deficiency!”    - Bill Mollison

This Poultry Power project is one of several potential holistic approaches to providing our own local healthy food. Raising chickens or ducks for eggs can be one of the simplest way to incorporate healthy protein into a diet when done collaboratively. By sharing the responsibilities, we can all reap the benefits while maintaining the flexibility to travel or to address life’s unforeseen circumstances without the pressure of finding someone to care for birds when we can’t.    If you already have a flock and are finding it hard to keep them for the fact that you have other obligations, consider becoming a member of Sunnyside Artisans and share the responsibilities of caring for the birds with others.    You will still get the benefit of healthy eggs from foraging birds.    As a community we can share the responsibility of caring for the birds with proper planning.

Eggs from chickens that are able to engage in ranging offer several benefits compared to eggs from caged hens. These benefits include: Nutritional Content: Free-range eggs are typically higher in nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. These nutrients are important for various aspects of health, including heart health, vision, and immunity. Lower Cholesterol and Saturated Fat: Free-range eggs generally contain ⅓ less cholesterol and ¼ less saturated fat compared to caged eggs. This difference is attributed to the natural diet of free-range chickens, which often includes insects, seeds, and small plants. Enhanced Flavor and Texture: Some people believe that free-range eggs have a richer flavor and firmer texture than caged eggs. This may be due to the more varied diet and exercise that free-range chickens enjoy.

Poultry can be beneficial in a holistic way that is not just for eggs:

  1. Pest Control: Poultry are both voracious eaters of insects, snails, slugs, and other pests. Their natural foraging behavior helps to keep pest populations under control, eliminating the need for pesticides.
  2. Nutrient Cycling: Poultry can eat a variety of food scraps and as a result produce nutrient-rich manure that can be used to fertilize plants. Chicken manure is higher in nitrogen, while duck manure is higher in phosphorus, making them both valuable sources of nutrients for the garden.    Geese are herbivores and therefore will cycle plant material where needed.
  3. Soil Aeration and Weed Control: As Poultry scratch and peck at the ground, they help to aerate the soil, allowing for better air and water penetration. This can improve soil health and promote plant growth. Additionally, their foraging can help to control weeds by pulling them up or eating their seeds.
  4. Natural Decomposition: Poultry can help to break down organic matter, such as fallen leaves and food scraps. This can add nutrients to the soil and improve its overall structure.
  5. Composting: Poultry manure can be composted to create a nutrient-rich fertilizer that is ideal for use in the garden. Composting also helps to reduce the volume of waste and prevent it from going to landfills.
  6. Watch Animals:    Geese and guinea hens will alert other birds of predators and others of visitors.
  7. Allergic Reaction:    Some people are allergic to chicken eggs but can eat duck eggs and vice versa.
  8. Tick removal.    Chickens and guinea hens eat ticks along with the other bugs they eat.
  9. Improved Animal Welfare: Free-range chickens have access to outdoor spaces, allowing them to engage in natural behaviors such as dust bathing, foraging, and pecking. This leads to a better quality of life for the chickens and reduced stress levels.

In the face of environmental degradation and soil depletion, innovative and regenerative approaches to land restoration are gaining momentum. Among these, the use of poultry has emerged as a promising technique for repairing damaged land. Poultry, with their natural foraging instincts, nutrient-rich droppings, and ability to control pests, can play a pivotal role in revitalizing degraded landscapes, transforming land into productive and ecologically diverse ecosystems.

Some birds in our care may be in urban settings while other may be in a rotational pasture settings or perhaps others will be assisting in clearing around rural structures for defendable space and fire suppression.    Sunnyside Artisans will be working to establish a tool-sharing initiative and Fab Lab workspace to build what is needed.    We will build a variety of structures to house and protect the poultry for each context.    One of the first types of coops for us will be something that can be easily moved from yard to yard of cooperative members.    This way the birds can be used to benefit a yard or garden but not over burden the area.    We have 2x2, 2x6,4x4 wood and plywood to get going with structure building.

If you have no space for birds but want to contribute to feed costs and build poultry structures, you can still be a part of this project and get some health eggs along with supporting our local ecology.    If you have a backyard, a larger area, pasture, forest land, or a desire to share the ownership of and gain the benefits of poultry with support from a community than contact Sunnyside Artisans at SunnysideArtisans@gmail.com

Please refer to the references below to learn more if you are interested. Others can demonstrate the potential of poultry better than I can.

Small sample of Inspiring references:

www.regenpoultry.com

pasturedpoultrytalk.com

www.urbanchickenpodcast.com

To stimulate ideas for building mobile chicken structures:

www.permaculturenews.org/2015/12/08/diy-chicken-coops-and-cutting-feed-costs-100/

www.eater.com/2019/7/17/20696498/whats-the-difference-cage-free-free-range-pasture-raised-eggs#:~:text=Free%2Drange%2C%20another%20USDA%20term,could%20at%20some%20point%20open.