Are chickens really sustainable small scale

In addition to all the great ideas previously mentioned. If there happens to be a brewery around you there's always spent grain. Grab a beer or 12 and a few bucketfuls of spent grain. Or fill a truck bed and let them sort through it as a compost pile.

Who eats the Virginia Creeper? Chickens? Do you dry it? Crush it up for them? I've got tons of it because the sheep wont eat it!

The chickens don't seem to go for it during the growing season.