I'm what you might call a lackadaisical farmer.....and I love chickens. They are, in my world, living lawn ornaments. However, I am carelessly lazy with my approach to chicken keeping. Keep it simple, keep it fun is my motto. My original intention for chicken keeping was for natural pest control, but I fell in love with their whimsy and individual personalities.

I do not waste my time or money on commercial chicken feed, my chickens forage for their food. In the Spring and fall I plant all types of grass and wildflower seeds, clover and cover crops....and when I say plant, I mean cast out willy-nilly all over the yard. My chicken love these greens in the Spring and Summer and in the Fall it all goes to seed on its own and my birds love that too. Having such diverse greenery for them also brings in beneficial and unfortunately delicious insects too. As the greenery grows taller, I begin to mow walking paths for them. Giving them access to new areas to forage. I made them a solarium for rainy days out of an old picnic table and recycled sliding glass doors, I throw a shade cover over it in the heat of the Summer which helps to keep them cool.

Their coop area is filled with blueberry bushes, and sunflowers, both for eating and hiding under for protection.

ChicAruba is a magical place, where I spend most of my morning coffee time, half of my afternoon, and almost entirely all of my evening, just sitting, watching and listening to happy chickens run, play and forage.....cant get any lazier than that.

Step 1: Keep It Simple, Keep It Fun

Step #1 Well it's pretty obvious, but you are going to need some chickens and a coop for this project....maybe you could rescue some.

Step #2 Buy wildflower seeds and chicken forage seed for planting...just throw it everywhere

Step#3 .....sit back and watch it grow, watch the chickens feed themselves, watch them fight over a cricket or leap into the air to grab a grasshopper.

Step#4 Occasionally you will need to mow paths through the yard ....but you can leave that for another day.