It’s totally possible to use permaculture design with chickens so that chickens can take care of themselves. 

System #1) Mulched Garden Run 

This is a system in which the chickens are fenced into a mulched run that opens into various garden areas. 

My System includes: 

• Electric Poultry Net and Energizer 

• Fence corner supports 

• Chicken Coop. (Here’s my Chicken Tractor Plans)

• Wood Chips. Here’s how to source them.

Steps to Creating the Mulched Garden Run 

1. Deep Mulch a 1200’ to 1500’ square foot area. At least 8” of mulch. Preferably in the fall. 

2. Set up your electric poultry net around the entire area 

3. Place your mobile chicken tractor inside the garden area and add your chickens 

4. As the growing season approaches, you can start seeds in a greenhouse

5. Once you’re ready to transplant your seed starts, or you’ve bought starts move the electric net out to encompass your first row. Now, your chickens aren’t allowed in this area. We like a generous 2’ pathway, so we open up 72” leaving us a 48” growing bed and a two-foot walkway. 

6. NOTE: You’re leaving a chicken run on the sunny side of this operation. 

7. As the season progresses, continue to set up more garden beds. 

8. Once your first garden bed is spent, arrange your fence to allow your chickens back in the area to clean it up to continue growing. 

9. NOTE: It’s best if you can move the fence in the morning BEFORE you let out your chickens. After you arrange your fence, let out your chickens.

10. After the growing system is complete, arrange your fence to open up the entire area to chickens. This is when you renew the mulch (at least 8” to 12” thick). 

System #2) Bill Mollison’s Food Forest Mulched Run. 

This is the same concept at my system above, however, it calls upon more perennials. 

See Bill’s book, “Intro To Permaculture” for full details. 

Features of the Food Forest Chicken Run: 

There are five areas the chickens will rotate through. 

The chickens’ nesting area and run is deep mulched and never moves. Chickens are allowed in certain areas at certain times. 

Besides the annual garden growth you might plant things like: 

• Spiny shrubs to protect the chickens from predators. 

• Fruit trees and shrubs 

• Seed foods

• Greens

• Other things like food scraps and logs (collecting worms) 

Bill Mollison recommends a static run at the end of a ½ acre area featuring 5 areas. 

System #3) Mickey’s Food Forest Run

This is sort of like Bill’s model except he doesn’t have multiple pens. He has so little chickens, he doesn’t have to. Revisiting Mickey’s Chicken Food Forest system. 

Here’s Mickey’s Full Video 

The Cool thing about Mickey’s system is the chickens are in a static run completely caged off to predators. I believe there’s an automatic door. They have an automatic feed and water. They are allowed to run freely through the food forest during the day, finding all they could ever imagine eating. 

System #4) Cow Paddie System 

I first heard about this system from Joel Salatin. The idea is that you range the chicken behind the cows, three days behind. That gives the fly larva enough time to develop in the manure without turning into flies. The chickens scratch the paddies (spreading them) and eat the larva. The chickens spread the fertilizer, eat the pests and they’ve found free food. YEH! 

ABC acres does this system on a farmstead level and ensures the chickens scratch that manure by putting some feed on top of the cow pies. And, yes you can do this with other animals like sheep and pigs. 

Here’s ABC acres showcasing their cow paddie system.

In 2018 I began this system on my own small farm using 24 chickens to follow five cows. 

Here’s my ChickShaw mini-me plans for moving up to 36 birds easily by hand. 

Here’s a video  where I set up my small flock behind the cows on pasture.