Feathered Farmers: How Chickens Heal the Land
Meet Farmer Andrea from Falling Sky Farm, one of our co-op farmers in Northwest Arkansas. Thanks to your support of small farms, she’s regenerating the land and raising animals the right way: chickens, cattle, turkeys, and pigs. She’s giving you a real look at life in the field with weekly stories, honest updates, and everyday moments from the farm.
Good morning to all you awesome eaters and builders of a better tomorrow!
In a rare (for this time of year) escape from the farm work overload, I was riding horses across the pasture with a friend last week, and she was blown away by the difference the chickens make in the grass.
Yes, that’s right. Chickens make amazing grass.
I thought y’all might appreciate seeing a little of the magic. The dark green strips distinctly show exactly where the pens of birds have been run and where they’ve deposited their grass gold (i.e., chicken poo) versus where they haven’t been yet.
You can see the difference in the rich green forage—the result of the nitrogen and nutrients our chickens leave behind as they move across the pasture.
It’s way more noticeable on the farm we just purchased last year and began operating on this spring. The farm we’ve been on since 2010 has pretty amazing grass everywhere at this point, primarily due to chicken coverage and also plenty of rest scheduled in between intensive grazings by the cattle.
But the new farm? Well, it’s positively shouting and showing exactly how much it appreciates all the fantastic nitrogen and nutrients the chickens leave behind. The explosion of green forage in their wake says it all. The deep, dark green strips really tell the story.
I never get tired of going out and looking at the progression of where the pens have been and the response in the forage behind them. The chickens are hard on the forage while they’re there but what a difference several weeks' rest and a little rain makes. It’s an incredible transformation and still blows me away. Even after 18 years of watching it happen literally right under my feet!
I was told y’all wanted to hear a farmer’s perspective so now you know: soil, chicken poo, and incredible forage are just a few of the things I spend my days thinking about.
Let me know if there’s anything you’re really wanting to know about the day in and day out on the farm. Excited to share more with you!
Time to get back to work and go do some water checks on the cattle and chickens we moved early this morning.
Your farmer,
Andrea
I never get tired of going out and looking at the progression of where the pens have been and the response in the forage behind them. The chickens are hard on the forage while they’re there but what a difference several weeks' rest and a little rain makes. It’s an incredible transformation and still blows me away. Even after 18 years of watching it happen literally right under my feet!
I was told y’all wanted to hear a farmer’s perspective so now you know: soil, chicken poo, and incredible forage are just a few of the things I spend my days thinking about.
Thank you for supporting farmers who are dedicated to building healthy soil, growing nutrient-rich forage, raising better protein, and giving their animals the best life possible while they're here.
Let me know if there’s anything you’re really wanting to know about the day in and day out on the farm. Excited to share more with you!
Time to get back to work and go do some water checks on the cattle and chickens we moved early this morning.
Your farmer,
Andrea
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