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That's really interesting! Your setup sounds really cool. But it also makes me wonder: I've heard that many insects' populations are declining in the US due to pesticides, invasive species, and other factors. I can even subjectively tell there are fewer worms around than when I was a kid. I...

This is all so interesting. Thanks for taking the time to write all this! So it does seem that the breeding is the major factor at play here. I do wonder if there is someone nearby with a flock of chickens like you described (the "missed the memo" people).

First of all, I don't think what you're saying about the culling should be controversial. I think it should be widely accepted for the welfare of the chickens. My first flock of four was all "rescue" birds from a farm animal sanctuary, and two of them were Golden Comets who were supposedly over...

Hmm, yeah this is kind of what I was wondering about. I really doubt a high-production layer's only effect of not eating commercial feed would be fewer eggs. I'm sure it would take a toll on their bodies as well because they would be trying to pull nutrients from it to make eggs daily. So, like...

That's a really good point about the processed feed, especially since we are consuming the eggs the chickens lay, and often their meat. You would think people would care what goes into the animals they eat because it goes into them. I try to eat as little processed food as possible myself, so...

Okay, that makes sense. So... silkies for meat and eggs as my next sustainable chicken project? Lol! (Joking, as I don't have the space for chicken projects anyway) What about heritage versions of some older American breeds such as Plymouth Rock and RIR? Those are bigger birds, but were...

Okay, yeah, that's what I was thinking. So with that said, are there any chicken breeds today that are less like "today's birds that have more taxing done on their bodies" and more like the old ones? I feel like I'm doing such a bad job of asking all these questions so sorry if I've been unclear...

But is it really that we've learned more about what they need, or do they just need more now due to breeding? I guess that's the question I'm sort of pecking at here. And if it's the latter, are there breeds today that are more like the chickens from a long time ago that did not need as many...

This seems like a really cost-efficient way to feed your chickens. I like that. What breed(s) are they?

This makes a lot of sense! Never thought of that. Nice! What breed(s) do you have and how long have you been feeding this way? How old are the chickens? What kind of environment do they free range in? Not being critical, just genuinely curious because I wonder if some breeds can thrive this...

So what I'm gathering is, you guys are saying you could still raise today's chickens this way, but they will be less productive. I expected that, but I thought they would also just not survive long or something, or get health issues - which is kind of what I've heard people say on here. I...

I hope this question makes sense. I'm newer to chickens and did not grow up in a family that had them. On BYC, and in real life, I have heard people say that their grandparents didn't feed their chickens any commercial feed, but simply threw the flock a small amount of grains/scratch such as...