How to Make a Chicken Tractor on Steroids [FULL VIDEO]

To learn more about chicken tractors and the permaculture design system, watch Geoff's free Masterclass at www.discoverpermaculture.com
Kitchen gardens, from small to commercial scale, can be fertilized through chicken composting. This simple design builds fertility continuously by sourcing chickens to do the work they enjoy and do best: scratching, eating insects, and eating weed seeds. From this, we get eggs, meat, and fertility, and the plants grown using this method will produce at a high rate and provide nutrient dense fruits and vegetables.
Anyone can follow this system. Small urban versions on just 16 square meters can supply an average of one cubic meter a month, enough to fertilize 1000 square meters of garden. Larger systems, using 30 chickens, can produce a cubic meter of compost a every week, enough to keep ½ an acre rich and fertile. And, commercial systems, with 50 chickens, can account for two cubic meters of compost a week, sufficient for fertilizing a full acre of land.
The compost piles begin with bedding under the chicken roost. Every week 1/3 of a cubic meter of bedding is put under the chicken roost, where they manure it. At the end of the week, this bedding acts as the base of a compost pile. Atop it goes 1/3 of a cubic meter of large animal (cow, horse, sheep, goat, etc.) manure, and on top of that should be 1/3 of a cubic meter of food scraps and/or weeds from the garden.
In the coming week, the chickens will naturally disassemble this pile, spreading the outside as the inner core heats up. At the end of the week, the pile should be reassembled, putting the spread material at the core and the old core at the edges. A separate, new compost pile should be created with that week’s bedding. This process repeats, adding a new pile and turning the old ones, every week. After five weeks of this process, a pile is compost
For an urban “chicken tractor on steroids”, one compost pile is turned all week and another is contained in a cage. At the end of the week, the caged compost pile is set free, and the spread-out compost pile is stacked into the cage. This cycle repeats for six to eight weeks, providing two cubic meters of compost every other month for a total of 12 cubic meters of compost a year. The 16 square meters of chicken tractor can provide complete fertility for 1000 square meters (1/4 acre) of garden production, as well as provide 8-10 eggs a day.
To create these compost piles, lawn clippings and pulled weeds are added under the chicken roost for 6-8 weeks, where they are manured and begin the composting process. When ready, the bedding from beneath the roost is removed, stacked with manure and food scraps, and put through the composting cycle (one cubic meter in the cage and one being spread). The process of adding bedding beneath the roost begins again.
Within a commercial garden system, the 50-chicken tractor runs in the center of large garden beds. The beds can have polytunnels over them in cold climates, or they can have shade cloth over them in desert climates. Or, they can be covered with productive deciduous or evergreen vines on trellises. The gardens should be separated by two-meter paths, allowing for machinery, and these paths can be shaded with productive trellises, too. These systems will feed humanity, and they never lose fertility if the engine is kept running.
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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.
#permaculture #compost #chickens

[@mojavebohemian814]

I have 39 chickens doing this (n.e. Arizona, USA) and they are taking down a heap in one day! I am reading Mollison's Designer Manual and enjoyed "products and behaviours" of a hen as analysis for design by listing components. I had to "start doing, (to) learn how to proceed." Thank you so much for your continuing to reach us.

[@LittlePetieWheat]

How much feed per week are you getting through with this system?

[@barnabyvonrudal1]

Do you have to rebuild the pile then?

[@mojavebohemian814]

@@barnabyvonrudal1 Yes. It is great fun for all of us.

[@mojavebohemian814]

@@LittlePetieWheat I measure feed need by their behavior. They make sounds. I have started sprouting sunflower seeds and have a feeder of oats, but they are not excited when I put it out. I have a desert soil so the pile and the moisture attracts insects, the green material breaks down and they eat that, kinda like salad. I put some food scraps, maybe a litre every few days. I have added alfalfa hay bales this week, they like the leaves, otherwise I pay attention to their behavior. I raised them in a small tent, I don't have a house for them yet. There is a floor covered with a tarp which I pull out to clean. They sit on the floor or on a long tree branch if they want off the floor....

[@ricos1497]

​@@mojavebohemian814sounds fantastic. Well done sir.

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

Amazing, Geoff! You should be a Nobel Peace Prize winner for the great strides you are making towards feeding the world. I just hope you keep on teaching for many years to come 👩‍🌾👍

[@upvotecomment2110]

Question So the chickens peck on their Decomposing sh*t? I think this is a short-term solution and a long-term source of infection Please correct me if I'm wrong

[@BoneCrusherofOlde]

Did you know that Nobel faked his death and was to be remembered as the "Doctor of Death" because he invented dynamite, so he spent a fortune to rebrand himself to be regarded as some sort of peaceful guy? Kind of like how Bill Gates was found guilty of antitrust because he stole everything that made Microsoft successful, so they had to rebrand him as a "Vaccine" Philanthropist that tells you how to not own a car while he dominates our lives. The more you know... But this video is great and this guy deserves recognition, no doubt!

[@joshua511]

@@upvotecomment2110 Billy Bond from Perma Pastures Farm has demonstrated how this works at a farm level. Yes, the chickens peck through their waste (just like they do for cow poop in a Joel Salatin style system). The pile needs to be moist and the temperature needs to be monitored. The chickens eat insects from the pile and thus get all the protein they need plus whatever food scraps you threw in the compost pile.

[@davidthegood]

Inspiring as usual - thank you. Nice graphics, too. Good work, production editor!

[@cedarchoppincartographer]

You're an inspiration too. Cool to see you commenting.

[@Awellsfarm]

Hey look it's David the good !

[@blackduckhomestead398]

It feels like everytime I see a video that I think is really good and go to comment, David the good is already there 😂 you and Geoff are absolute legends in our house! I'll send you a video of our grocery rows and compost systems soon!

[@farmstrong5434]

I love what you do! I'm going to be integrating a lot of your techniques on our farmstead here. Love from Morocco 🇲🇦

[@KimWilliamsystunisia]

Let us know how you get on. I'm in Tunisia 🇹🇳

[@farmstrong5434]

@@KimWilliamsystunisia Ayy that's pretty close to Morocco! Good luck to you!

[@KielerMatrozen-to5ly]

Hi there, I wish you lots of success with your farming in Morocco. I am from Morocco, living currently in Germany. I took Geoff's Course in 2021 online. Now spending my last 2 months in Europe, then I will hit the road to Morocco to start my own regenerative Agriculture there in a small scale of 2Ha.

[@farmstrong5434]

@@KielerMatrozen-to5ly WOW! That's amazing! Let me know how it goes I would love to see the progress! Good luck to you!

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

I noticed you changed the technique a little bit so that there is only 2 piles. Thats better as the space is limited for urban chicken run with dimensions 8 m x 2 m. The cage frame actually move alternately from pile to pile whereas the earlier model, the cage frame does not move. I like this new system better as it has less piles. Further we let the pile be reassembled until 6 to 8 weeks which is doubled the time from your previous system. The pile will truly be ready by then. I tried 4 weeks system and the pile was not completely decomposed and ready. I believe Geoff you got the timing right this time for the urban system.

[@jenbear8652]

Thanks for this comment. I’ve watched Billy & William at Permapastures so their moving version, and I was curious about this version, since they speak of learning from Geoff. However, they also say they’ve had to experiment & tweak theirs to work for them. So I wasn’t sure exactly what they changed from Geoff. I agree, the 2-3 piles would be much better for urban and I’ve just found out that my town now allows “farm” or any animals, as long as they are not a nuisance to neighbors! Hoping to convince hubby to get on board with trying this!

[@richermorin]

tks for what you do Geoff, you're amazing... that includes the team!

[@SuperDrJulio]

Wonderfully thought through and inspiring as always. We are thinking about setting one up for 30 chickens on our 1/2 acre market garden. I'm wondering what are the rough dimensions of the larger system featured in the video? We have a small tractor with loader so we would want to adopt it to load bedding and turn piles and would build a poly tunnel over it all. Thanks again for the great video!!

[@B30pt87]

Wonderful! I love that you showed what it looks like to do this.

[@joshuafountain2256]

Thank you for the in-depth video Geoff! And thank you for adapting permaculture to new technology and ideas while keeping the philosophy of it intact. That's the way forward!

[@TheWeedyGarden]

Thanks again Geoff 🙏🏻

[@Reciprocity_Soils]

Thanks, Geoff and crew, for the design and discussion to innovate and combine production systems from chickens and compost to trellis to cool footpaths and overall gardens.

[@erindepaz771]

This reminds me of Billy’s system at Perma Pastures Farm. They probably have used many of each other’s ideas since William learned lots from Geoff Lawton and they have that previous connection.

[@1millionpumpkins542]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe Billy got his PDC from Geoff Lawton. As did several other great permaculture channels! The beat lineage so to speak 😊

[@estebancorral5151]

The idea came from Karl Hammer when Geoff Lawton visited Karl. Karl produces compost for 200 farm.

[@MistyMeadowsPermacultureFarm]

I love this design! Work smarter, not harder.

[@NeshSooriyan]

Amazing. Thank you for providing these insights and concepts. I am 1 to 2 generations removed from subsistence farming, and this provides so much inspiration to reconnect my children to a sense of purpose that comes from their environment.

[@genejitsu3305]

Perfect timing. Wanted to introduce raptors on the land for awhile now

[@blackduckhomestead398]

Awesome system Geoff. I may trial this next winter, we live in the arid and dry Riverland SA with a permaculture system including 30-60 chickens at any given time, we use a deep litter method for our chickens and quail with wood chips from powerline trimming so we do this sort of thing but in large hot piles every few months, I am keen to instead try this method as we have a coop that's 12x6m in 8 perfect 3x3m squares with the shed and entry in 2 of those squares, leaving us 6 3x3m compost bays, I don't know why I hadn't thought about this as I'd actually thought about fencing in the compost piles and putting the chickens in there to help turn it 😅 As usual Geoff thankyou for the content you have taught me much over the years!

[@MogiMann]

I am excited to inculde this method on our permaculture hobby farm in Coastal B.C. Canada. Hopefully we can get it designed and built this fall or next year at some point. I would love the extra fertility for the garden and food forests for sure! Thanks Geoff, brilliant ideas as always!

[@darcyneuman6741]

Yeah and save on fresh veggies and can for winter. Too bad the price of fuel is federal tax tool for liberal spending.

[@priestesslucy3299]

​​@@darcyneuman6741hile I agree federal taxation is generally a waste... Why bring it up here specifically? How is it relevant to this conversation?

[@darcyneuman6741]

Sorry about bring in taxation to permacultrue topic. Being from bc or Canada self preservation through self sustaining is great way to save on the aforementioned. Just hate the topic of rising shipping cost about to go up another 40% increase on food or anything shipped .

[@patioverde]

Me encanta lo que se aprende en este canal🥰

[@subash15]

Great video and very well explained with visuals!! Thank you v. Much Mr. Geoff

[@Plantnow]

You gained a subscriber. Well explained, and I appreciate all the work that you put in to share this video/knowledge with us.

[@DanielSMatthews]

Thanks for explaining that so well, and quantifying things precisely. It is much more reassuring when the knowledge can be applied with confidence.

[@nonlavn2030]

The 16m2 chicken coop system should be placed in which direction. Thanks

[@4evermetalhead79]

Love it. These explanatory content that takes you through the whole process, is gold for me. 🙏

[@khavafis]

Geoff is the well deserved heir of Bill Mollison's legacy as he continues to spread the knowledge. God bless you Geoff.

[@janus878]

Ich habe dieses System schon in ein, zwei Videos gesehen, aber richtig erklärt, zum mal mit dieser Leidenschaft, hast nur du es . Ich liebe deine Videos! Es ist so aufregend und inspirierend❤Herzliche Grüße aus Deutschland

[@azaherbert489]

If this doesn't inspire me to start gardening, I don't know what will. Following from Uganda 🇺🇬

[@sheilal3172]

Go ahead! Gardening is good for the soul and for the tummy! Best wishes!

[@Michael_McMillan]

Are there instructions on how to build that first chicken house shown? The kind that produces eggs.

[@XtremeKiteSchool]

Good insight and thanks for sharing the knowledge I will defenetly implement some of your teachings Kudos to you

[@paolomaggi8188]

you taught me an incredible way to produce fertility. Thank you. You are a pioneer!!

[@adamredden2007]

Need to stop putting this off and formalize our set up. I do allow our chickens access to our open compost "bin" and slowly move it down the line but we have so much excess material in the form of hay waste from our two cows, the manure itself as well as the food scraps we're putting on the compost pile. Bagging instead of mulching grass clipping. Could be so much more productive...you have given me some inspiration! Thank you.

[@krzysztofrudnicki5841]

I have this kind of system. Chicken coop with pen. But my chickens don't want to scratch much in the compost. They prefer to walk on grass/weeds and eat them. They don't even want to eat red worms. Maybe I should give them less food?

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

It takes time for the chicken to start scratching. After 1 month they would have adapted.

[@geofflawton3198]

Don’t feed them

[@janus878]

Sie sollten alte Rassen nehmen, keine Legehühner Rassen, die ansonsten in Käfigen leben und mit Natur nichts anfangen können🐓

[@ninemoonplanet]

Oh I wish I could, but am severely limited by city by-laws and lack of space. That's the laziest way of making compost yet. I enjoy lazy with 2, 3 ways to get fertility into the soil without the work. 👏👍

[@justgivemethetruth]

love this guy

[@differentgenx]

So simple yet effective - more pearls of wisdom from Geoff - this man is a legend :0)

[@wendyhusband4048]

Love this video so much Geoff, explained and demonstrated so well Thank you 🤎

[@mohmsa6331]

Traduction en français Les jardins potagers, de petite à grande échelle, peuvent être fertilisés grâce au compostage de poulet. Cette conception simple renforce la fertilité en continu en recherchant des poulets pour faire le travail qu'ils aiment et font le mieux : gratter, manger des insectes et manger des graines de mauvaises herbes. À partir de là, nous obtenons des œufs, de la viande et de la fertilité, et les plantes cultivées selon cette méthode produiront à un rythme élevé et fourniront des fruits et légumes riches en nutriments. Tout le monde peut suivre ce système. Les petites versions urbaines sur seulement 16 mètres carrés peuvent fournir en moyenne un mètre cube par mois, assez pour fertiliser 1000 mètres carrés de jardin. Des systèmes plus grands, utilisant 30 poulets, peuvent produire un mètre cube de compost par semaine, assez pour garder ½ acre riche et fertile. Et, les systèmes commerciaux, avec 50 poulets, peuvent représenter deux mètres cubes de compost par semaine, suffisants pour fertiliser un acre de terre. Les tas de compost commencent par la litière sous le perchoir des poules. Chaque semaine, 1/3 de mètre cube de litière est mis sous le poulailler, où ils le fument. À la fin de la semaine, cette litière sert de base à un tas de compost. Au sommet, il y a 1/3 de mètre cube de fumier de gros animaux (vache, cheval, mouton, chèvre, etc.), et en plus de cela devrait être 1/3 de mètre cube de restes de nourriture et/ou de mauvaises herbes de la jardin. Dans la semaine à venir, les poulets démonteront naturellement ce tas, étendant l'extérieur à mesure que le noyau interne se réchauffe. À la fin de la semaine, le tas doit être remonté, en mettant le matériau épandu au cœur et l'ancien noyau aux bords. Un nouveau tas de compost séparé doit être créé avec la litière de cette semaine. Ce processus se répète, en ajoutant une nouvelle pile et en retournant les anciennes, chaque semaine. Après cinq semaines de ce processus, un tas est composté. Pour un « tracteur à poules sous stéroïdes » urbain, un tas de compost est retourné toute la semaine et un autre est contenu dans une cage. À la fin de la semaine, le tas de compost en cage est libéré et le tas de compost étalé est empilé dans la cage. Ce cycle se répète pendant six à huit semaines, fournissant deux mètres cubes de compost tous les deux mois pour un total de 12 mètres cubes de compost par an. Les 16 mètres carrés de tracteur à poulets peuvent fournir une fertilité complète pour 1000 mètres carrés (1/4 acre) de production de jardin, ainsi que fournir 8 à 10 œufs par jour. Pour créer ces tas de compost, des tontes de pelouse et des mauvaises herbes arrachées sont ajoutées sous le perchoir du poulet pendant 6 à 8 semaines, où elles sont fumées et commencent le processus de compostage. Lorsqu'elle est prête, la litière sous le perchoir est retirée, empilée avec du fumier et des restes de nourriture et soumise au cycle de compostage (un mètre cube dans la cage et un en cours d'épandage). Le processus d'ajout de litière sous le perchoir recommence. Dans un système de jardin commercial, le tracteur de 50 poulets fonctionne au centre de grands parterres de jardin. Les lits peuvent avoir des polytunnels dessus dans les climats froids, ou ils peuvent avoir une toile d'ombrage dessus dans les climats désertiques. Ou, ils peuvent être recouverts de vignes productives à feuilles caduques ou à feuilles persistantes sur des treillis. Les jardins doivent être séparés par des allées de deux mètres, permettant la machinerie, et ces allées peuvent également être ombragées avec des treillis productifs. Ces systèmes nourriront l'humanité, et ils ne perdront jamais leur fertilité si le moteur continue de tourner

[@ewonodi2974]

Super traduction 😊 merci ❤

[@TheMarkvq]

Saving this video

[@sheilal3172]

Enjoying this so much! I have a house 12" by 16" feet (192 sq ft) but only 15 chickens. I hope to have chicks hatched this spring to add to the working flock. I began deep litter inside in November of 2022. I add straw and shredded paper and hay often and have not cleaned it out yet as I don't feel I have enough chicky poop to activate it and there are no bad smells or ammonia evident. I also keep a deep duff over a first annual addition of a friend's hog manure in the 12" x 20" run. We add many bags of green grass clippings from our 2.48 acres each week. I would think that would help the carbonaceous stuff from the hen house break down. Should I go ahead and move what's in the house into the run?

[@kellysoo]

This is revolutionary. Geoff you are our Aussie Perma -Scientist-Mathematician-Accountant-Lover. What can I say! 🎉🎉🎉

[@nicholasnapier2684]

This is gonna work anywhere in the United States and I’ve been telling people the same thing about that is amazing that you have this process

[@summerhill_homestead]

What should the dimensions of the compost rings be?

[@veghcsenge]

What is the purpose of the 1 week rest in the cage (in the urban system)? To allow the biota to reproduce again? Or allow the heap to heating up?

[@javorgeorgiev6130]

I'll definitely need a cage to keep it together. I made a pile using the dirty bedding from the pig pen mixed with old straw that hasn't been soiled. The chickens and turkeys level the thing clear in less than an hour. They are shredding the straw clawing at it, but I don't think any actual composting is going on. Something about pig manure soiled straw makes chickens go wild. Sometimes they take a piece of that dirty, wet straw and slurp it up like a noodle.

[@stevefox7961]

How is the chicken floor constructed in the hutch please

[@mcpack3258]

Very inspiring, Geoff. Do you give your chickens supplemental feed in this system?

[@jonatanmenger2892]

Would also love to know this

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

My chickens were still hungry with this system so I supplement.

[@michellesharwood7756]

I supplement feed my chickens once a day by spreading their feed across the compost heap, making them dig even more to uncover their feed, and aerate the developing compost. My chicken coop is on a small slope, so the heaps move down naturally, also thanks to the chickens, and once it reaches the bottom of the coop/chicken run, it is ready to be used on the beds. So I have a never ending supply of compost. I also use the bedding from the chicken house that gets deposited at the top of the chicken coop weekly.

[@stephencraig8060]

Want to know the answer for this as well Geoff

[@CupoTress]

@@michellesharwood7756do you have a link where we can see photos of your sloped system?

[@Olatunji_homesteady]

Am using your knowledge on my farm. Greetings from Nigeria.

[@pax7511]

Great content!!!!!! Thanks very much for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@minimalniemand]

Loving the system!! How would one get big animal manure in the urban system or if you don’t have big animals in general?

[@thesavagekiwi3492]

Where do you source your additional animal manure from? It is essential to make the system work as I don't have any viable source close to me.

[@c.b.1542]

This is an interesting concept. But where does the animal manure come from? The limitation is the base material greens and browns. The chickens can only produce a cubic meter of compost per week, if I put 5 cubic meters of base material into the system each week. So where does it come from? Where do I keep the cows, horses, goats, you name it, and how do I feed them?

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

Refer to my comments.

[@geofflawton3198]

1/3 m of a cynic meter a week, easy to find.

[@jenbear8652]

Just do the same system minus the manure from lg animals. Make it how you’re able. It’s still better than plain compost without chickens

[@rumyanakoprinkova3295]

Hi Geoff, do you use Electroculture in your gardens? If yes , would you make a video about this topic? Thanks Geoff!

[@maryamdormer2291]

Geoff Lawton, legendary! What can I do if I dont have big animal manure?

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

Most urban farmers have no cows and have no access to cow manure and large quantities of vegetable scraps. So we have to get them from outside source which incurs money from labour and transport cost. I got my vegetable scraps from a market nearby and cow manure from a cow farm. This system is suitable for commercial farm or big integrated farms like Geoff's.

[@geofflawton3198]

You will be surprised by what you can compost.

[@BingoBongo-or5ni]

Worms then??, lots of food waste in urban areas to raise plenty of worms, use the worm tea

[@Awellsfarm]

High nitrogen crops like legume trees or pea vines can replace bulk manures especially with the chicken as the bacteria manure addition. Food banks and restaurants produce millions of tons of produce waste per year, harvesting those waste streams can feed this compost system easily.

[@renaldamarkos7913]

Can't u put access doors on the sides too so u can move those piles by tractor as well?

[@daletaylor7251]

Hi Geoff, love your channel, do you also feed your chickens laying pellets or do you just rely on the compost for feed

[@geofflawton3198]

You can do either

[@tanvirsiddique6626]

From Bangladesh with ❤ for Geoff Lawton.

[@stayawakenhealthy2539]

Brilliant Vid Geoff. I live not far away from you ( 20ks) Where do you sell yr Organic Vegies mate. Kind regards Pete

[@ljubanrajic5358]

If I start with 1m3 of manure, scrap, etc. I end up with less then 1m3 of compost. It would be more between 0.5m3 - 3/4m3 (assessment). Food scraps shrink, material break down, the pile becomes more compact.

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

Thats correct. Chickens eat the vege scraps so definitely it will shrink

[@geofflawton3198]

You do not have enough carbon in your piles, you have TOO much nitrogen.

[@markrodrigue9503]

Brother what feed you use can you show feeding on another video corn soy grain oats ?

[@douglasnevill1273]

I love this concept and I am just starting with chickens I have an urban garden ... Need to do the chicken house or chicken coop / chicken tractor ... Would probably need to modify what you're doing to make it work specifically here in Port Angeles, Washington, usa. How many chickens does it require for the 12 cubic meters per year, in this system where do the chickens nest and lay their eggs ? Can you provide some simple plans that show these things?

[@jenbear8652]

He said 30 chickens. But if I’m able to try this, I’ll start with trying a smaller number, realizing that the composting will take longer & I’ll produce less at a time. But it’ll still be better than the 1/2 CU yard I get per year with no chickens!

[@jenbear8652]

Below your comment the French person described that he said 30 chickens for a larger space. I’m not sure he ever said how many chickens for the 16 sq meters. But the mention of 8-10 eggs makes me think someone has mentioned about 12 chickens?

[@jenniferl8714]

Question…. Those wonderful chickens, do they need get enough food from the compost piles or do they need additional feeding? Love the information ❤

[@mark3r442]

any concerns since you keep adding new material from under the roost to material that has been going through the system with constantly reintroducing bacteria that might not be composted properly by the end?

[@LittleKi1]

Quick question: for the small-scale cage/pile rotation, are you adding manure and veggie scraps to that every time you turn it or is it basically one-and-done?

[@ottoflouer1750]

One and done but you could add some in to heat up the pile and speed up decomposition, just not to much to throw your ratios way off

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

I add vege scraps when i see the chickens finish them. So i monitpr the scraps

[@geofflawton3198]

No just at the start

[@blackduckhomestead398]

You can add as much food scraps and weeds as you like but don't add any more manure or dry material as it needs time to properly break down and the chickens add a small amount of manure while turning it, hope that helps

[@offgridscotland]

A brilliantly designed system! and it looks like most people could do it

[@INVESTIRENAFRIQUE1]

Great. Good work and thank you

[@my_permaculture]

Genius. But also looooots of work. Once the system is running full power its 5 pile moves per week which can take a single person up to 2 hours or even more. It basically a heavy workout. Also organizing the manure inputs and the carbonatios materials for the new pile can be difficult if not available on site. For a market garden I would prefer the Charles Dowding method with additional compost bought in which is most of the time very unsophisticatedly made but it does the job.

[@geofflawton3198]

Nice to have choices many people don’t have choices.

[@my_permaculture]

@geofflawton3198 True. Very true! My perspective is a very European perspective.

[@jenbear8652]

I love Charles Dowding!!! If I get chickens I plan to do this (Geoff’s) basic method with the small amount I’m able in my urban yard, but instead of feeding all the grass clippings, weeds & damaged produce & scraps to the compost pile, I’ll be feeding them to chickens. I won’t have manure from large animals, but Permapastures Farm has successfully made it work without it

[@rubiccube8953]

What would happen if you put the initial pile on top of a hill and took away the completed compost at he bottom.

[@mich7931]

Hello. I really like this idea. Could You tell me is there any non harming idea what to do with little roosters? I know that normally on industrial level they land in bag and die, on the other hand as far as I know more than one will end with fights. Could You share Your experiences?

[@catchaslug9634]

I would think it's the 1/3 large animal manure that's complicated to get for a city/suburban garden. Anybody have any experience with this?

[@krzysztofrudnicki5841]

I think you can have what you can get. Grass clippings, leaves are fine too I guess. In my pen I put every biomass that I can get. I put unfinished compost/mulch on my bed and man... squashes are huge. I didn't even planted them. They are volunteers.

[@mojavebohemian814]

I started with clippings of vines, dry weeds, dirt swept of sidewalks and waste paper torn to small pieces and layedered it (the greens and browns technique) while I did not have chickens. Now the chicks add their manure. Resources are all around, think carbon and nitrogen. I live in a house share in a subdivision, lol

[@UncannySense]

Depending on how small a city/urban space restriction you have. You are probably better off with worm farming/vermiculture and perhaps garden beds with a quail or rabbit or guinea pig tractor house/cage that can be rotated around the garden beds.

[@sharonadlam3195]

There are bound to be horse riding centers at the edge of suburban areas - they are normally happy for you to collect used stable material.

[@szolanek]

They use human manure, I was told :)

[@maxwunderlich6383]

Great system, does the chicken's need additional feeding ?

[@AlienSKP]

This is brillant ! I have chickens, I have compost pile, I have food scraps,... What am I waiting ???

[@ladywindzephyr7540]

I know I missed the Q & A timeline lol. But I still feel the need to ask this, even though it might not be applicable everywhere in the world. How sustainable/applicable/successful would permaculture techniques for compost, but with meat rabbits also adding to the fertilizer as they would also be a part of my operations to supply a large growing family of generations? Any insights to share? Please do...

[@benpung]

I have made something like this with different results... I have a layer chicken in cages, they poop on rice husk then black soldier flies laid their eggs on the chicken poop... Then once a month I gather this mixture into a compost pit. Then I add more rice husk under the chicken cage. And the process repeats itself..... Also there is no adverse odor and no flies....

[@mathieup.1786]

Really cool, i love this idea. Thank you for sharing

[@megm.c4026]

I live in the bush and tried a similar method but rats became a huge issue in composts and chook coop so I gave it up. What do you do about the rats??Presume they are an issue there too?

[@chessman483]

It’s easy for you, 20 workers not only doing the work, they are paying for your knowledge. Could do with a heap of workers on our place.

[@geofflawton3198]

We have 10 year old systems working fine with no inexperienced works who don’t work much. So we gave up on helping hopeless people learn how to work.

[@chriscritchell5115]

How do those chickens stay in metre high fences, have you clipped one wing?

[@samuelsamu8340]

@chriscritchell5115 either that, or cover the place with mesh or zig-zagged fishing threads. Covering is needed b/c of aerial predators, anyway.

[@cypsteel]

@geofflawton3198 - Thanks for the video. I think the question has been asked several times here in the comments. Do you have a recommendation for how many chickens in your urban example?

[@jenbear8652]

Based on the 8-10 eggs daily, it may be around 12 chickens?

[@auntiejanet176]

This looks brilliant! ... How much grain or other food are you still feeding your chickens? Presume they are not getting all their needs from the pile??

[@geofflawton3198]

We tried not feeding any additional food for a year and the chickens looked more healthy, but the egg production dropped 30%.

[@oliveracargada6386]

Pero eso es en un clima tropical donde todas las semanas puedes desbrozar hierba para colocar en el gallinero, en un clima estacional tienes que acumular ese material para usar semanalmente

[@nizarsouki5062]

what if we keep adding food waste and wood chips in the run without piling, like creating 1 foot of bedding will that be composted, would this work?? the idea is not to do any work and after a month i remove all bedding and start again??

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

My chickens are still hungry after i implement the system. So i gave them crushed corn and padi grains mixture in addition. Why are my chickens still hungry without the grains? I also supplement the chickens with fruits from the pen grwing nearby and residue from soya bean production. Is that a good idea? From 12 hens i got about 22 eggs in 19 days. I just started the system 3 weeks ago.

[@balanced4harvest552]

Sharifah, you should investigate how the Soybeans are grown! Are they GMO and is GLYPHOSATE used? Also the NEUROTOXIN HeXane is used to eXtract the Oil, and then the Fibre is Pelletized for animal Feed! UpTake is an issue!

[@slytheron]

Hi Jeff. I use sawdust and wood shavings in my chicken coop as bedding. Can this be used as the base in this system? Thanks.

[@sharifahnoorosman649]

I like to know that too as I have access to shavings and padi stalks or wheat or hay is difficult to get at times

[@geofflawton3198]

Yes no problem

[@slytheron]

@@geofflawton3198 thanks a bunch. Will go ahead and use it.

[@ewilen]

It's an awesome system but my problem is that you have to restrain the chickens in order for it to work, my chickens are in total liberty during the day ( my vegetable garden is protected of course ), and I would like to keep it that way.

[@JS-jh4cy]

What region of the country you in? My guess is Northern Australia? Which looks tropical climate?

[@phsconcerto]

How do you ensure that the materials in the compost pile are not harmful to the chickens? Thanks a lot for your input.

[@geofflawton3198]

There are no problems

[@aussiebushhomestead3223]

Chickens are pretty clever at avoiding what's not good for them.

[@vasaoz]

Beautiful work

[@highplainshollarhomestead3188]

Are you feeding any grains to the birds?

[@alexlavertyau]

Wish land in Australian wasn't so flippin' expensive would love to buy some land and do this.

[@jd2379]

Don't limit yourself to Australia only, why not broaden the perspective and try to get more for your buck in some other country.

[@ricos1497]

​@@jd2379because they live in Australia?

[@sophieeve4505]

This is something I will definitely try to introduce to our garden

[@VSP55555]

Marvelous, greetings from Argentina

[@cg1tube]

Do you have a suggestion for those of us who don’t have big animal manure? (cow goat horse or the like) I have food, scraps and grass, but no source of manure in the suburbs

[@jenbear8652]

Billy from Permapastures Farm has done it without other manure & it works just fine

[@brianmb]

In the urban system, did I miss how many chickens are recommended? Or is it 30 also?

[@pushactivate]

Thank goodness there is still some really positive and inspiring knowledge been developed and shared, ideas like this can really help save humanity in a food crisis, in the near future. #overshootday #movethedate #startplantbasedaimforvegan

[@undergroundandoffgridinari540]

I have vegetarian fed pigs, how would you use their manure?

[@UncannySense]

bio gas production with a liquid fertilizer byproduct.

[@CollectiveConsciousness1111]

So... could the chicken coup design be adapted to the outhouse? Excellent content, thanks for sharing🌍💚

[@priestesslucy3299]

Yes .. but would you want to eat those eggs?

[@CollectiveConsciousness1111]

Yes of course, less distance to add compost if located near outhouse. It's all about time management & making chores most efficient.

[@davidballantine728]

Awesome, explained the system installed more depth than previous videos. Now I will get to work building one!

[@mfr58]

Would wood chips break down fast enough for this system (rather than straw) ?

[@andrefruth41]

I would be very interested in seeing you start from scratch with a set amount of materials to build the chicken tractor and a set amount of feed for the chickens and nothing else available at all. using the manure somehow make beds and grow all of what you need to sustain the chickens and create biomass needed for composting. maybe get and raise some animals and start using their manure and make a blueprint of what materials could be dropped off anywhere in the world where you would have a system like this in a given period of time.

[@ShafiqAhmad-uq7ib]

How many labours will required in this process on daily basis?