Every animal on our farm has a job to do, and the chickens are no exception. Yes, they lay lots of wonderful eggs, but even more importantly, they are the pasture cleaners. When they are turned out of the coop each morning, their daily job is to scratch through the piles of manure, distributing it so that it fertilizes the hard-won pasture grass. It's to everyone's advantage that they absolutely love the fly larvae and scorpions that give them protein to grow healthy sleek feathers.
We choose chicken breeds for their assorted egg and feather colors, their heritage breed qualities, and their ability to forage on pasture evading any predator who might think about hunting them. Among the breeds are Amaracanas (green-egg layers), Aracanas (blue-egg layers), Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Marens, Welsummers, and Speckled Sussex - all brown-egg layers. We added in a few California Pearl Leghorns for white eggs and great feed efficiency.