In the early 1990s, when I started raising backyard chickens in my Southern California garden, many people thought it an oddity. While they liked trying the eggs, I could tell that even the most adventurous gardeners weren’t quite sure about bringing what were considered farm animals into their yards.

Times have changed. Today the backyard chicken movement is growing stronger every day. As Lisa Steele says in her recent book, Gardening with Chicken: Plans and Plants for You and Your Hens, the move toward a simpler, more sustainable way of life has spurred a burgeoning interest in gardening and chicken keeping.

For the most part, female chickens are docile creatures intent on three tasks—eating, laying eggs, and for lack of a better term, relieving themselves. While the egg-laying obviously benefits us humans, it turns out that they’re eating and pooping is also beneficial. Because young, healthy chickens produce on average six eggs a week, they’re voracious eaters.

The pecking chickens do in the garden is usually hunting for insects, so they keep the garden cleaned up if you have an imbalance of insect pests. And their scratching in the dirt helps keep your soil loose and aerated. In addition, they’re not picky eaters. Let them loose on a weedy area, and they’ll take care of unwanted plants for you.

Chicken poop is also rich in nutrients, which feeds the soil and creates a nutrient-rich environment for your plants. Steele includes information on how to compost their droppings so that it can serve as a premium, “homegrown” organic fertilizerfor your plants.

If you’re looking for a great guide on raising chickens in your garden, I suggest getting Steele’s book. Her own flock morphed from three chickens initially to more than three dozen today. Her hens cohabitate with ease in her Maine kitchen garden. She has mastered integrating her garden with her chicken keeping so that both feed off of each other. Her book shows you how to thoughtfully plan out your chicken coop and garden so that everyone wins.

In her book, Steele, who blogs at Fresh Eggs Daily, guides you through managing a backyard flock and making the most of their various talents. You’ll also learn a great deal about keeping your hens happy and healthy. For instance, she shares how supplements, such as probiotics, support their digestive systems and what herbs to plant in your garden to keep your chickens’ delicate respiratory systems healthy.

Another new book to check out about gardening with chickens that is also full of great information is Backyard Chickens: Beyond the Basics: Lessons for Expanding Your Flock, Understanding Chicken Behavior, Keeping a Rooster, Adjusting for the Seasons, Staying Healthy, and More! 

Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of 10 books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.