Chicken Garden?

Someone posted this in a chicken forum that I read and I'm a little (a lot) intrigued. We definitely have the space, maybe enough energy (calling all friends!) and probably not enough time...but I think this would work for us.
The concept is that you let the chickens loose on one side for a season, then after you harvest the garden, you let them scratch that side while you turn the soil and add your compost to the other side.

My only concern, is that the chickens wouldn't have constant access to grass. I know that this isn't a necessity but it does give them some omega 3's which in turn, give us omegas through their eggs. I could just give them greens from table scraps. The fact that they are enclosed would make my hubby quite happy as he constantly complained of chicken poop in the yard (I didn't notice that much of it...).

If you see any potential 'problems' with this plan, PLEASE let me know. I'm still a newbie when it comes to chickens and gardening. Plus, I tend to dream big while reality takes a backseat.

Something to think about for sure.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/silveira44a.html

The Wonderful World Of Composting

Our first house in Peterborough was in the city's green waste pilot project neighbourhood. When we moved this past fall, we realized how spoiled we had been in our waste collection. I recently emailed my two city councilors and our mayor to ask why Peterborough hasn't jumped on the green waste bandwagon. They explained that it was due to a lack of appropriate sites for the green waste area. But I've heard through the grape vine that they didn't want to shell out the money to outfit every household with a green waste bin...
So, since I don't really want city hall to know me (and my illegal chicken grow-op), I decided to forgo the fight with city hall (for now) and get my own composter.
I read through the "Composting for Canada" book (see previous post). It has information on every type of composting option available. From vermiscomposting to anaerobic and aerobic, cold passive and hot active, etc, etc. I had no idea that composting was quite the science. Did you know there was a carbon:nitrogen ratio??? (I'll save that for another time).

I went to Peterborough Green Up and bought myself an Earth Machine composter.
 It is an aeration composter that can be used by filling it and waiting for the whole pile to decompose or as an ever-producing compost, as it has a door on the bottom where you can collect the finished compost.
I picked a spot in the yard, next to where the garden will be. Put it together, secured it to the ground and off to the composting races we go!
Oh...and at Peterborough Green Up, I also signed up for their vermicomposting class where we get a bin + worms and learn how to not kill them. Gage will love it!