Learning Russian as a Beginner: Free Resources, Books and Lessons That Helped Me

I've been learning Russian through self-study for several years, and this guide brings together the books, websites, apps, and lessons I've personally found most useful.  I'll keep updating it as I discover new resources and publish more detailed reviews

If you're wondering how to learn Russian as a beginner, the number of available resources can feel overwhelming.  After months of studying Russian independently, I've tested podcasts, textbooks, university courses, YouTube lessons, and language-learning apps.  In this guide, I'll share the best Russian learning resources for beginners and explain which ones helped me most.

This includes free and low-cost resources that have helped me learn the Cyrillic alphabet, understand basic grammar, and begin working towards CEFR A1 proficiency.

My Recommended Learning Order

If I were starting Russian again from scratch, I would:

1. Learn the Cyrillic alphabet (1 hour)
2. Complete the RussianMadeEasy podcast
3. Start the New Penguin Russian Course
4. Work through the Между нами course
5. Practice with native speakers whenever possible

Contents

• Understanding the CEFR Language Levels
• Learning the Cyrillic Alphabet
• RussianMadeEasy Podcast Review
• New Penguin Russian Course Review
• Между нами Russian Course Review
• Learning Russian Through Native Speakers
• Recommended Russian Learning Resources

Understanding the CEFR Language Levels

The CEFR is an internationally recognised framework used to measure foreign language proficiency.  There are various free online CEFR tests which can be useful to help learners determine which level they have achieved, there are also paid tests that would be more accurate and provide formal certification. 

The levels go from A1 to C2.  On the CEFR scale, A1 is the lowest level and C2 is the highest.  For most people (myself included), even getting to A1 takes a lot of time and effort.  

CEFR Language Levels

A1–A2: Beginner
B1–B2: Intermediate
C1–C2: Advanced

I am learning a little of the Russian language, I find it fascinating, and difficult.  The best way to learn would probably be if you were immersed in regular conversations with native speakers.  If you have easy access to people who speak Russian that's great.  Face to face (or online) classes with other learners would also be useful if you can access them.  Otherwise there are a bunch of other resources you can use. 

Below are some of the resources I am using to learn Russian.  Some are better than others, some are free (there is a Russian saying: for free, even vinegar is sweet) while others are worth more than you will pay for them.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon links.  If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for supporting Living Mudflower.  

St. John the Baptist Cathedral Russian Orthodox Church

Learning the Cyrillic Alphabet

Cyrillic Alphabet - I am a slow learner and I am getting older.  I figured it would take me months to learn the alphabet, or maybe it would be so difficult that I could never learn it.  I was pleasantly surprised when it took me under an hour to learn, while my kids took under half an hour to learn how to read Russian using the link below.  

Learning the Cyrillic alphabet was surprisingly easy.  I didn't start learning the alphabet until I had learned to say a few words and phrases, and I regret not beginning my language journey by learning to read Cyrillic.  Learning how to read changed my learning immediately, and made it possible to learn speaking and pronunciation much faster and far more efficient.  Learning to read was a game changer.  I strongly suggest starting with learning the alphabet.  This link is to a free resource that is very good.  

 https://www.russianforeveryone.com/RufeA/Lessons/Introduction/Alphabet/Alphabet.htm

I think that link is great, but you may get stuck on a letter or not really understand a letter because there are not many examples (plus there are a few letters which have no sound that it does not explain well).  If you get stuck there is also a set of videos to learn Cyrillic in three hours.  These short videos are very comprehensive, they are interesting, and they also teach a few words.  It is made by the same company as the free podcast below.  It is more comprehensive than the link above, but it takes longer to get through.  The alphabet videos in this link are all free. 

 https://russianaccelerator.com/read-russian.html 

If you prefer learning from a physical book rather than a website, there are several great beginner Cyrillic workbooks available.

Cyrillic alphabet (not my image) is easier to learn than you think

RussianMadeEasy Podcast Review

Podcast - RussianMadeEasy, this is a great free resource for the absolute beginner.  

This podcast has 30 podcasts, each about 20 minutes long, the website has a transcript of the episodes and a media center.  There is also an app of the same content if you are the kind of person who is into apps.  It provides a foundation of how the language works, the basics of grammar, it explains all six verb conjugations, and teaches some basic sentences, etc.  

If you prefer reading digitally, many Russian textbooks and dictionaries are also available for Kindle.

RussianMadeEasy uses techniques like contextual learning, construction branching, and pattern recognition for grammar, and has voices from multiple native speakers.  I'm told that it teaches around 250 words but am not sure if that includes cognates as I don't feel like I learned many words.  The company that made this stresses that this podcast is not enough for you to learn the language, it is just a great place to start, and it is free. 

 https://russianmadeeasy.com/ 

I think RussianMadeEasy is a great podcast and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It took me a long time to complete this as I wanted to master each lesson before moving onto the next, and I went back to older lessons to review as I progressed.  After completing this I did an online CEFR test.  It was a multiple choice test, and out of 50 questions I only got about 12 correct.  Meaning I am rated below A1.  Some of my correct answers were only because I knew some words outside of the podcast.  I think the podcast is great, I learned a lot and I highly recommend completing it if you are a beginner, but you need to realise that completing these lessons won't get you to A1 language proficiency.  That's ok, you need to start somewhere, and those podcasts are a great place to begin.   

That company also produced a free podcast on understanding spoken Russian.  I would link to it but don't know how as I found this on Spotify.  These also seem good, they are intended to help you get an ear for the language, and you pick up a few words and grammar as you go.  

This company also made a few paid courses, I have no opinion as I haven't seen them.  I don't even know if the company is still in operation.  I sent them an email with a question over their paid course and never received a reply.  Regardless, the free podcasts are excellent and well worth your time if you are a beginner.  

Flashcards I made while doing RussianMadeEasy

Using Noise Cancelling Earbuds for Russian Listening Practice

One thing I have learned while studying Russian is that listening practice is just as important as learning vocabulary and grammar.  A textbook can teach you how sentences are constructed, but your ears also need time to adjust to the sounds, rhythm, and speed of spoken Russian.

I found that having a good pair of noise cancelling earbuds made it much easier to include listening practice in my daily routine. I use Jabra noise cancelling earbuds, and they have been useful when listening to Russian podcasts, pronunciation lessons, and beginner conversations.

The noise cancelling feature is especially helpful when there is background noise, as it makes it easier to focus on the spoken words.  When you are learning a new language, being able to clearly hear individual sounds and word endings can make a big difference.

My Jabra noise cancelling earbuds - worth their weight in gold

I often listen while walking, doing chores, or during other parts of the day when I would not normally be studying.  This extra exposure adds up over time and helps make Russian feel more familiar.

For language learning, I think comfort is just as important as sound quality.  If earbuds are uncomfortable, I am much less likely to use them regularly, and consistency is what makes the biggest difference when learning a language.

If you are learning Russian (or another language), a comfortable pair of noise cancelling earbuds can be a useful addition to your study setup, especially when combined with textbooks, podcasts, and conversations with native speakers.  You can check the current price of the Jabra earbuds I use here.

New Penguin Russian Course Review

Book - New Penguin Russian Course, this is said to be the best Russian language text book for beginners.  If you're only going to buy one Russian textbook, this is the one I'd recommend.  

This is good at teaching grammar, which is essential when learning a language.  It contains a few exercises, but not enough for a beginner beginner like myself.  It also has lists of words to learn, which I struggle with.  

New Penguin Russian Course 

Some people prefer learning vocabulary using flash cards or picture-based vocabulary books.

I have not completed this book yet, I am told it takes about a year for most people to complete.  I have a feeling it may take me longer than a year.  I am slowly working my way through this book, and am learning a lot as I go.  

I think the New Penguin Russian Course is a great book for beginners with a little knowledge of the language.  I'm learning a lot from it, and re-read sections often.  I don't think I would have a hope of using it had I not learned the alphabet and completed the podcast lessons first.  

For a more in depth review, I wrote a blog post just on the New Penguin Russian Course and my progress after 12 lessons.

New Penguin Russian Course- back cover

Между нами Russian Course Review

Между нами Course - free web based text book.  This description is from their website: Между нами is a complete first-year college level Russian course that has been designed for programs that have roughly 150 contact hours of instruction. The material is organized into nine units (уроки) and an epilogue, with each урок subdivided into three parts (части). Each часть shares common thematic and grammatical content which unfolds over the course of several episodes (эпизоды). Еach эпизод on the website consists of a Текст, a related set of comprehension activities called Вы всё поняли? (Did You Get All of Тhat?) and a related grammar explanation called Немно́го о языке́ (A Bit About the Language). 

In addition to the website, there is a print-on-demand workbook of classroom activities (Работа в аудитории) and homework activities (Домашние задания). The authors envision users working through these materials in small cycles, moving between the website and the two printable workbooks.   

This course is great, plus it is free.

 https://mezhdunami.org/unit01/1_1/index.shtml

My Между нами print outs

I have barely started this course, and am already learning a lot.  Already knowing the alphabet, having an understanding of the verb conjugations, and knowing a few words and phrases before starting is helping make this course a lot more achievable.  I think it would be less fun if I started with no knowledge at all.  Completing the podcasts and learning to read Cyrillic first made this course far more enjoyable.  

Learning Russian Through Native Speakers

Native speakers - one great way to learn to speak a new language is by speaking to people who are fluent.  I wasn't sure if I would mention this here, but the Russian Orthodox Church generally has people who speak Russian.  

Divine Liturgy was about to begin so I took some sneaky photos

Quick Comparison of Russian Learning Resources

Resource	Cost	Best For
RussianMadeEasy	Free	Beginners who want an easy introduction to Russian pronunciation, sentence structure, and basic grammar
The New Penguin Russian Course	Paid	Learners who want a structured textbook with detailed grammar explanations and exercises
Между нами (Mezhdu Nami)	Free	A complete beginner course covering reading, grammar, vocabulary, and cultural context
Russian Short Stories for Beginners	Paid	Building reading confidence and learning vocabulary in context
First Thousand Words in Russian	Paid	Visual vocabulary building, especially for beginners who like learning through pictures
Native Speakers / Language Exchange	Free or Paid	Improving listening skills, pronunciation, and real conversational ability

Recommended Russian Learning Resources

If someone asked me how to start learning Russian today, I'd buy:

• New Penguin Russian Course My favourite beginner grammar textbook and the resource I use most often.
• Russian-English Dictionary Useful when studying away from a computer or phone.
• Russian Short Stories for Beginners An easy way to transition from exercises to reading real Russian.
• First Thousand words in Russian Good for building practical vocabulary.
• Dedicated Study Notebook I write new vocabulary, grammar notes, and practice exercises in mine.
• Jabra noise cancelling earbuds I couldn't listen to free podcasts without mine, I love them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to learn the Russian alphabet?

For me it took under an hour to learn the basics, although becoming comfortable reading took much longer.

Can you learn Russian for free?

Yes.  Many excellent resources are available online for free, including podcasts, websites, and courses.

What CEFR level is considered beginner Russian?

A1 and A2 are beginner levels on the CEFR scale.

Is Russian difficult for English speakers?

Russian can be challenging due to its grammar and Cyrillic alphabet, but learning the alphabet is much faster and easier than people expect.

Final Thoughts

Russian is one of the most challenging things I have ever tried to learn, but it has also been one of the most rewarding. Looking back, I spent far too much time worrying about how difficult the language would be and not enough time simply getting started.

If I were beginning again today, I would first learn the Cyrillic alphabet, then complete the RussianMadeEasy podcast, work through the New Penguin Russian Course, continue with the Между нами course, and take every opportunity possible to speak with native speakers.

The most important lesson I have learned is that progress comes from consistency rather than intensity. Even a few minutes of study each day adds up over time.

The resources listed above are not the only ways to learn Russian, but they are the ones that have helped me the most so far. Many are free, the paid resources are relatively inexpensive, and all of them can be used by independent learners studying at their own pace.

If you are learning Russian yourself, I would love to hear what resources have helped you. Feel free to leave a comment with your recommendations, experiences, or study tips.

Learning Russian has also given me an unexpected appreciation for Russian food, and Russian gardening culture.  If you're interested in that side of things, I've previously written about some 

• Grechnevaya Kasha (Buckwheat): Our Favourite Russian Comfort Food
• Fascinating Russian heirloom tomato varieties
• Making Milk Kefir at home
• Making Tvorog from Milk Kefir

If you have suggestions of other good Russian language resources, I will gladly publish those.  большое спасибо! 

Maidenhair Ferns after winter

I grow a few maidenhair ferns.  They are easy enough to grow if you get the conditions right.  Earlier I wrote a blog post on how I grow maidenhair ferns.  

My oldest maidenhair fern has been with me since 2016, over these past 8 years it has grown from a tiny cute little fern into something rather large and impressive.  This used to live full time in my office, but I brought it home a few years ago and it lives at home.  When I had this in the office with me I would remove dead fronds regularly, and it always looked lush and healthy.  

Since bringing my fern home permanently I have not removed the dead growth regularly enough.  It is healthy, but it isn't looking great.  

Over winter it got a lot of dead fronds, I left them on the plant to help protect it over winter as it lives outside.  Although it is under shelter it can get frozen during very cold spells, it also gets blasted with wind where I have it located.  Now the warmer weather is here, my maidenhair fern needs to be refreshed.  

After winter lots of dead fronds

In the old days people would suggest when maiden hair ferns start looking ratty to cover them with a brown paper bag, tie it loosely with string, and set the paper bag on fire.  

This would usually burn at a low enough temperature that the plant would not die.  Once the fronds were burned the fern would send up a flush of new growth and look fresh and reinvigorated.  

It has since been proven that burning does nothing other than removing the dead growth.  I have been told by some fern growers (who know a lot more about ferns than I do) that simply cutting off the top growth achieves the same result and is less risky.  Sounds good to me so I decided to give it a go.  

Maiden hair fern not looking great after winter

Each winter my fern looks a little ratty, and each spring I consider cutting it to the ground and letting it regrow.  Each year I don't do that.  Normally I just remove the dead fronds one by one.  

This year I decided to cut off all its top growth, I planned on removing every last frond.  

Then I noticed how may healthy fronds it had, and decided to only remove the dead fronds.  The dead fronds were clumped mainly in the middle, so cutting them off was quick and easy.  I also took out lots of the healthy green fronds while doing this, but that shouldn't be a problem.  

As you can see, I left a lot of green fronds.  Even with all the fronds, from the front or the back it looks a bit sparse.  

Looks sparse after removing dead fronds

I kept some fronds

When you look from above you can see just how much was removed.  

I kept the healthy fronds so the plant can capture lots of sunlight.  Perhaps I should have also removed these fronds and started anew, but I couldn't bring myself to do that.  Perhaps next spring if I am still here I will try to remove all the top growth, or perhaps I will chicken out again and try to leave most of the green fronds.  

Look how much was removed

Not much left, but it should regrow fast

Removing the dead fronds means they have less protection from the wind, and there will be higher evaporation from the soil.  The dead fronds would have acted as insulation, without them the temperature will rise and fall faster.  

Removing the dead fronds also means the plant can get more light, and have better air flow.  So hopefully they will regrow stronger and healthier.  Regardless, it should look nice once it grows some more fronds.  

Top: tiger fern and variegated maidenhair ferns. Lower: maidenhair ferns

This went well enough, and once you start something it is easy enough to continue.  All of my ferns look a bit tired after winter.  I tried to remove dead growth from all of them, some I was a lot more harsh than others.  As you can see above, they all look ok.  

If I remember, I will try to take some photos of my ferns once they have recovered from being cut back.  All of my ferns look healthy, and I have little doubt that they will start to grow fast now the warmer weather is here.  

Some of my ferns, cut back and ready for spring growth

  You can see a few of my different maidenhair fern varieties in the pictures above.  I have a few other varieties that are not in this picture.  There are a lot of varieties of maidenhair fern around, I grow a few and am still tracking down some others.  

As you can tell, I like maidenhair ferns.  They look pretty, they can live virtually forever, and they are reasonably simple to grow.  If you have somewhere out of direct sun, perhaps you should grow some of these ferns.  

Chicken Run Salad Bar: Growing Fresh Greens for Chickens

When we had acreage or chickens and other poultry would free range through the orchards.  After moving to town our chickens used to free range through our yard.  That was nice, it was good for the chickens, good for the fruit trees, and rather pleasant.  Then we had issues with the neighbour's dogs. 

Now during the day the chickens are contained in a (very large) run under several fruit trees, at night they have a fully contained run with a house part and a covered deep litter area.  They always have shade and water, and we like them to have constant access to greens.  The number of hens, and the sheer size of the run, means they more than meet the definition of free range, plus they are safer from dogs.  

During the summer of 2019-2020 it was extremely hot and dry and we lost all our grass/weeds/lawn.  When the rains returned, the larger lawn came back but any seedlings that popped up in the chicken run were immediately eaten by our hens.  This means they would have no grass in their run unless some of the soil is protected.  I like chickens to have access to grass and weeds, I think it is good for their health.  

Back when our hens were free ranging, my wife built some cages to put in their run.  The idea was for the cages to protect grass and weeds enough that they could survive, and when they grew tall enough to poke through the wire the hens would eat some green feed.  It works well.  

The internet seems to refer to this as a chicken run salad bar, I hate this term but can't find it referred to as anything else.

Chickens are destructive

The cages work well.  For the past few years the chicken run has bare soil under the fruit trees, the only place anything grew was under these cages (plus whatever grows there that they will not eat such as wormwood or white horehound).  Each time grass seeds germinate outside of these cages they don't last very long.  

I have tried moving the cages in the hopes that the more established patch will survive.  The new covered soil quickly grows grass and weeds, while the unprotected grass gets eaten and scratched back to bare soil.  No surprises there, chickens are destructive.  

Cages protect grass and weeds for hens to eat

We have several of these little cages in the chicken's run.  Over summer we need to water them to prevent the grass and weeds from dying.  I have a few of these cages scattered through their run, and I have a few cages along the fence so the running grasses can invade them and replenish them if they get eaten too vigorously.  Grass is good for hens to eat, it helps them stay healthy, but it does not replace the bought feed.  

From time to time I sprinkle spare seeds in these cages.  Things like silverbeet, coriander, parsley, and bok choy are readily eaten by hens.  All of these things grow among the grass and weeds to survive for a time.  Sooner or later they die and need to be replaced.

  

This got me thinking, I wonder if I could grow something in these cages to replace a percentage of bought feed.  I don't want to replace all their bought feed, but I do want to replace enough that it lowers the cost of feed.    

I am not just aiming to keep the chickens alive, I want them to be productive.  They won't be productive unless fed some bought feed.  According to the FAO: "A scavenging hen lays only 30 to 50 eggs per year".  Also according to the FAO, in Tanzania the total number of eggs produced per scavenging hen per year ranged from 6 to 20.  This is not many eggs, and the FAO is talking about 40 gram bantam size eggs.  My hens lay on average 190 to 230 medium to large eggs each per year.  

Admittedly the FAO are talking about unimproved varieties of scavenging hens, while I run improved hens.  I also know from food security projects that improved breeds tend to die pretty quickly when not fed concentrates or grains.  

All of this indicates that I won't ever be growing all the feed for my hens, I will always be feeding them some pellets.  Even so, I would like to reduce at least a little of the bought feed.  

Sometimes we extend the run using temporary fencing 

I have known a lot of people who sprout grains, and I have sprouted grain to feed hens in the hopes of reducing feed costs.  Sadly we have never seen a noticeable difference in feed costs from feeding sprouted grains.  It may make a difference if the hens are in battery cages, but when free ranged and fed various fruits and vegetables sprouting doesn't seem to make much difference.  I know a few people who have fermented feed for their hens, again this has made negligible impact to feed costs and has increased the amount of work.  

I did a bit of reading on the internet to see if anyone else has reduced their feed costs by growing some chicken feed.  After reading countless pages about 'salad bars' in the chicken run, it became obvious that, while plenty of people only grow 'treats' for their hens, very few people are attempting to replace any bought feed.  This does not interest me.  

Some people suggest growing things such as iceberg lettuce!  While this is gladly eaten by hens, it is less nutritious for them than grass and weeds, plus it needs a lot more water.  Dandelion is far more nutritious than iceberg lettuce, plus it needs less work from me.  

Other people suggested growing mint for laying hens.  Mint is very productive, and has some medicinal benefits, but my hens rarely eat mint, and when they do eat it they never eat enough to replace any percentage of their feed.  Mint may work as a supplemental treat, but is not a good choice to grow for replacing any amount of chicken feed.  

While many people grow treats for their laying hens, it seems very few people have tried to grow something to replace feed and had it make any real difference to feed costs.  Or if they have tried, they have not told anyone what worked and what didn't work well.  

This means I can't learn from other people's mistakes.  How disappointing.  

Rosemary and other tall herbs provide afternoon shade

You can see in the photo above that I have shade cloth that I put down in summer to provide shade from the afternoon sun.  I put the shade cloth up during the cooler months so the hens get all the sun they can.  I am training a grape vine over this fence to do the same job with less effort from me.  

I also grow tall herbs next to their run.  The tall herbs block the afternoon sun in summer, and the hens pick at them and eat bits they can reach.  These grow over the warmer months, then parsley and things die off.  I need to cut back the rosemary as it is getting a bit too big.  Strong smelling herbs probably also decrease the mites and parasite load somewhat.  

Many people talk about growing treats for the hens, where I am trying to look into how to reduce the cost of feed over a year.  The difference here is one between a supplement and a replacement. 

Many people, if not all, seem to focus on supplementing feed.  They still provide the same amount of base diet, with the addition of various things that they grow.  This addition quite likely has multiple benefits and possibly helps the chickens to be healthier.  If you are aiming to supplement their feed, then you can add basically anything that they will eat (even if they will only eat it begrudgingly).  If you supplement their feed, they may be healthier due to the increased variety, but your feed costs remain much the same.  

In addition to bought feed, we feed our chickens leftovers and kitchen scraps, we also feed them a wide range of seasonal vegetables, herbs, and fruits from the garden.  They also eat a wide variety of insects, spiders, and mice.  I am already supplementing their feed and providing a huge array of seasonal variety, and I don't intend to stop doing this.  

What I am interested in is replacing some feed.  This is where the hens get less of the base diet, they have a percentage of bought feed replaced with something else that is cheaper (or free).  I don't want to replace all their bought feed, but I do want to replace enough that it costs me less to feed them.

In this case you don’t need to supply every nutrient from their feed in a completely balanced way, but you need to supply enough that performance does not decrease as a result of the substitution.  If you substitute correctly, the hens may be healthier as a result, but the important part is the costs should decrease in a noticeable way.  If costs don’t drop, then you need to consider if the replacement is worth doing.  

Grass in the cages is similar to the grass outside the fence

 The FAO and various other food security projects and agricultural experimentation stations have run trials and experiments to replace bought feeds with various things.  There are a bunch of different edible things that have been trialed over the years and can replace a percentage of bought feed without lowering egg production. 

Some are things that I can't grow here due to climate, others we don't have in this country, others are not legal to grow here.  Various meat and bone meals and slaughter waste have been successfully trialed, but they are not an option for me at the moment.  

Other trials have replaced one grain with another, this is of no use to me.  I know some people raise various insects or worms to reduce feed costs, these are not feasible options for me at the moment for a number of reasons.  

As well as these, there have been a few plants that have successfully replaced a percentage of bought feed without reducing the number or quality of eggs laid.  These are the plants I need to consider. 

Grass only survives where protected in the chicken run

I have read a few papers where they replaced up to 10% bought feed with mulberry leaf meal.  Mulberry leaves are incredibly nutritious, and the trees are true survivors.  I already grow mulberry trees, and I feed the leaves to my hens.  While this is a great start, I am also looking for things to grow in their run under cages that they can pick at during the day.  

Azolla is meant to be able to replace up to 20% bought feed without decreasing egg production.  Azolla grows fast and has an impressive amino acid profile.  Duckweed also grows fast, contains a complete amino acid profile, and is said to be able to replace up to 15% bought feed with no decline in egg production.  I grow azolla and duckweed, and feed them both to the chickens, but I lack the ability to grow enough to be able to feed significant amounts.  I also would not be able to grow much azolla or duckweed in their run, so this is labor intensive.  

I started to consider if Vietnamese fish mint (Houttuynia cordata - not related to mint but has 'mint' in the common name) would work.  It is incredibly vigorous, surprisingly nutritious, and has a host of proven medicinal effects.  I have read several papers where including fish mint in the diet of hens has effectively controlled coccidiosis and increased survival rates.  This is a great plant for poultry to eat, plus they seem to eat it readily. 

For all its benefits, I worry that fish mint would escape into my yard and I would have to deal with the yard smelling like fish each time I mow, so I am reluctant to grow this in the chicken run.  For now I am growing it in pots and cutting handfulls of it to take to the hens.  This is more work than growing it in the chicken run, but I have the peace of mind that it won't escape on me.  

Fagopyrum cymosum might be useful in reducing feed costs

I did a little reading about perennial buckwheat, Fagopyrum cymosum.  This perennial leaf vegetable which has been eaten in the Himalayas by people and livestock for centuries and has a host of proven benefits.  There has been some research done into using this to replace commercial feed in laying hens that indicates that 10% of the feed can be replaced with this without adversely decreasing number of eggs produced.  This sounds like it could be a candidate for replacing some bought feed.  

This plant is extremely vigorous, and spreads underground by rhizomes, so should be able to survive and spread under the cages.  It does need to grow tall to set seed, but I wonder if it could survive long term by staying closer to the ground.  

I also have some wire protecting one of the smaller fruit trees, you can see it in one of the photos higher up on this page.  The grass tends to grow rather tall in the cage around this tree at times.  Perhaps I could plant some perennial buckwheat in there and allow it to spread until it escapes under the wire and is eaten by the chickens.  I think this is a good option that is well worth trying.  If it did escape and get into my lawn, I don't think I would be overly bothered.  

I can't take photos without the chickens coming over

There is not a huge amount of space in the chicken run that I am willing to cover in wire cages as I don't want them always walking on wire, so I only have a few square meters of space to play with.  There is no point growing mint or lettuce as this space would be better used to produce grass and weeds that are both highly palatable and more nutritious.  

If I had acreage I am pretty sure I could significantly reduce feed costs, but at this stage I only have a little space that I can use.  I wasn't even sure if a few meters of growing space is enough to make any noticeable difference to feed costs, but it is worth trying.  

If it wasn't for these cages there wouldn't be a blade of grass left

After a bit more reading, it appears that I am already significantly reducing the amount of bought feed I give my hens.  What I am currently feeding them is apparently working well at reducing their feed costs.  

I read that on average laying hens are fed 120 grams of pellets per day.  For the past half a dozen years or so my hens are eating on average a little under 50 grams of pellets each per day.  They also get grass/weeds, left overs, food scraps, excess things from the vegetable garden, hand fulls of azolla and duckweed, excess eggs when they lay more than we need, various dropped fruits in season, various insects etc.  It seems as though all of this has reduced their feed costs significantly, and has done so for years, without me even realising. 

My hens are about 6 or 7 years old (and very close to being retired and replaced), and have declined to laying an average of about 190-230 eggs each per year.  I keep records on the amount of eggs, they are declining noticeably as they age and they may be in their final days.  Over winter their laying almost stopped, I gave some extra lighting which fixed the issue, which is pretty impressive for hens this age.  Now the days are a little longer I removed these lights.  

We used to have a rooster, and we used to hatch the hen's eggs.  Fertility was high, usually around 85% to 90% hatch rate.  While the hens may lay slightly less than if fed entirely on bought feed, they are laying well enough for us, and have laid for long enough, to demonstrate that what we are doing is working and is sustainable long term.  The high fertility and hatch rate when we had a rooster also indicated that what we were feeding was working well.  I have a feeling that the huge amounts of seasonal fruit and vegetables my hens eat has have helped them be so healthy and productive for so long. 

I plan on leaving the grass and weeds in the cages, as this is working well.  I will keep throwing in extra seeds of parsley and silverbeet and things into those cages from time to time.  I also plan to introduce Fagopyrum cymosum and probably a few other things to the cages and see how they go.  If nothing else, I think the wide variety in their diet must be of some benefit to the hens. 

If you have something that you are growing to reduce your fed bills, and doesn't need much effort, please let me know how well it worked.  At some stage I will try to either expand on this post, or write another post, and detail what worked and what hasn't worked well for me.

Perennial buckwheat vs fish mint

A few years ago, I started growing a perennial vegetable called Vietnamese fish mint (Houttuynia cordata).  This perennial plant is used as a vegetable, or herb, or medicine, or grown as an ornamental, in a host of different countries. 

Fish mint is an extremely productive and vigorous plant, and borders on being indestructible, which is a great trait for a perennial vegetable to have.  Fish mint is productive, it looks pretty, and is incredibly healthy to eat, but I find the smell to be a little overpowering.  

I grew fish mint for years, and wished that there was a version of it that was not so strong smelling.  Some people love the smell of fish mint, however, I find it a bit too much. 

Fish mint on left, buckwheat on right 

Fish mint produces copious amounts of food and tolerates poor growing conditions.  I only grow it in a pot with pavers under it, otherwise I worry it may escape through the drainage holes and get into the garden.  After years of growing it like this I have never had it even come close to escaping into my yard.  

I am told that people grow this as an ornamental in the garden and regret it.  They say that spraying with weed killer removes growth above the soil line, but the plant survives and springs up again from rhizomes.  After it escapes, every time you mow your yard, or walk through your yard, it smells like fish.  

My fish mint produces flowers, and I am told it does not set viable seed.  For the first year or so I removed all of its flowers in case they set seed.  After the first year I just let it flower and hoped for the best.  

Fish mint escaping it's pot

Fish mint growing out of the drainage holes 

Not long after allowing fish mint to flower, I grew common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) from seed.  The cotyledons were rather unique, I had not seen cotyledons like them before, but it was the true leaves that concerned me.  

The true leaves of buckwheat were much the same shape as fish mint.  I worried that my fishmint may have set seed, and I was concerned that it had escaped.  Would my yard smell like fish for ever more?  Oh, the terror.  I honestly felt sick to my stomach with worry that this had gotten away from me.  

I didn't remove the seedlings at this stage, I left them to see if I was wrong and hoped I could get on top of things.  I was hopeful that I had not lost control of the fish mint because the seedlings were only in the one spot I planted buckwheat, and were nowhere near the fish mint.  Once the seedlings grew a little larger, I bruised, smelled, and tasted a leaf.  I was pretty convinced that they were not fish mint seedlings, but I still worried that maybe they didn't get their distinctive smell until older.  

The seedlings grew and rather quickly flowered.  The flowers were buckwheat and looked nothing like fish mint flowers, then it set seed that was clearly buckwheat, confirming that they were absolutely not fish mint.  Phew!  

I have been growing fish mint for years, and have never had it set viable seed.  

After growing fish mint for a few years, and reading about all of its benefits, I started to wish that there was a variety that did not smell so strong.  I considered trying to restore fertility and grow seeds and try to breed something that didn't smell as strong, but I am glad to say that I thought better of it.  I didn't want this spreading by seed through my lawn.  Not setting seed is a good trait for this vigorous plant to have, I don't want this plant to set seed. 

Perennial buckwheat - Fagopyrum cymosum

A few years later I learned of a perennial vegetable called perennial buckwheat (Fagopyrum cymosum complex, also called Fagopyrum dibotrys), this also goes by the common names "Golden Buckwheat" and "Tall Buckwheat".  This perennial vegetable sounds a lot like fish mint, but it has no smell.

Even though these plants are not even distantly related, my wish for fish mint that is not strong smelling has basically come true.  Perennial buckwheat does all the things I wanted fish mint to do (and more), and has none of the down sides.  

While perennial buckwheat and fish mint are not closely related the plants look superficially very similar to one another.  They are both perennial plants that are very vigorous and highly productive.  They both cope with hard frosts, and survive poor soils (they survive poor soil, they are vastly more productive in good soil).  They both spread vigorously by underground rhizomes.  They both have nice looking heart shaped leaves.  They have both been eaten as leaf vegetables and their rhizomes used as folk medicine by people for centuries.  They both have a lot of proven medicinal properties (for people as well as poultry and livestock) that have been reported through many peer reviewed papers.  

Perennial buckwheat plants

In my garden, perennial buckwheat grows much taller than fish mint.  In autumn, perennial buckwheat leaves become a brilliant golden yellow colour, whereas fish mint just grows until getting burnt down by frosts.  The flowers of fish mint are visited by pollinator insects only there is little else flowering, while perennial buckwheat flowers seem to be adored by beneficial pollinators and appear to be one of the preferred sources of nectar and pollen.  Perennial buckwheat leaves are high in rutin, and high in protein.  

I have not read anything about how much fish mint is safe to consume.  I think the smell would stop me eating it long before I ran into trouble.  Perennial buckwheat leaves (much like most common vegetables) have some levels of anti-nutrients, even so peer reviewed papers prove that it is safe to eat perennial buckwheat every day. 

Vietnamese fish mint

If you are into Asian cuisine, you should probably grow fish mint.  It can be used like a vegan fish sauce.  I have plenty of these plants, they are very vigorous.  

If you are into growing food, or concerned about food security, growing perennial buckwheat is a must.  I am not sure why it is so uncommon in Australia, it seems to only be common in developing nations where growing food really counts.  At this stage I am still trialing it under different conditions, and seeing what it can do.  

At some point if I have any spare plants I will list perennial buckwheat plants for sale, along with fish mint, on my perennial vegetables for sale page.

Keeping Chickens Laying Through Winter: My Results With Artificial Light

Keeping Chickens Laying Through Winter: My Results With Artificial Light

Our chickens, like all chickens, don't lay very well over winter.  The pineal gland in their brain detects the reduced hours of sunlight, and they either lay less or stop laying eggs entirely.  For young pullets, this is normally not an issue and they still produce enough eggs.  For older hens, this can mean months of no eggs.  

Our hens are getting old, they are six or seven years old now.  I should have retired them the previous winter, but didn't, and for a number of reasons (one being sentimental) I didn't retire them this winter either.  

We only eat the eggs our hens lay.  Even when you include the cost of buying point of lay hens, their eggs are still considerably cheaper than supermarket eggs.  Our older hens largely stopped laying when winter started.  We were getting one egg every few days, which is dreadful when you are feeding eleven hens.

When we had acreage I bought some garden solar spotlights.  I put them in front of the chicken tractors over winter, and they increased the number of light hours enough that we got a lot of eggs over winter.  I haven't done this for a few years and thought I would do this again.  My hens are now in a shed instead of a chicken tractor, which has changed things. 

The solar lights work well if they can get sun, and can shine directly into the coop.  This was perfect with a chicken tractor.  With our current set up this wasn't working well as I can't get the right angle.  I had one light in the ground, another light on the fence, and between them could not get the right angle.  

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you decide to buy.  This helps support the blog and keeps it running.

Solar spotlight for eggs

Solar garden spotlight for chickens

I couldn't get the angle right

Solar Garden Lights Keep Chickens Laying Through Winter

I like the solar lights because they are cheap to buy and free to run.  No point spending a lot of money when the whole idea is to save money!  

The solar lights do not pose a fire risk, or need an electrician.  They are bright enough for a few hours that they increase the number of eggs laid, and they dim out each evening so the hens are not surprised by it immediately turning dark. 

These solar garden lights are about ten years old, perhaps more, their light is dim and they were not working overly well.  So we decided to invest in a new solar light. 

The new one we got has two lights.  It has a small solar panel, and a short lead that is connected to the lights.  This means I can put the lights in the chicken house and angle them where I want light, and have the solar panel outside where it can catch sunlight.  

Solar panel is sitting on the roof, and the light are inside the shed under shelter.

Solar panel on the roof

Lights inside and pointing where needed

Multiple Solar Lights For Chickens Over Winter

Having two lights means I can change their angles and have them face wherever I want.  This worked well.  We went from one egg every few days, to a few weeks later getting 3 or 4 eggs per day.  This continued all winter. Perfect!  

As you can see below, we have a lot of hens.  They are old, and it was winter, so it is expected that they would lay no eggs until late spring.  Getting a few eggs per day is all we need.

As you can see in the photo, these solar lights do not produce huge amounts of light.  This amount of light is enough to induce them to lay.

View from outside the chicken house at night

Solar light on chickens over winter

These solar lights have been a simple and inexpensive way to extend the usable light around the coop area in winter when the days are short.  I’ve been using these solar lights and they’ve worked well for this purpose.

Are there any Dangers of Providing Extra Light for Chickens?

People have some concerns with inducing chickens to lay over winter using supplemental lighting.  Some concerns are valid, others less so.  I thought I should mention some of these concerns here.  

I haven't used lighting in a few years.  When I do use lights, I only ever use them over the winter months.  I remove the lights when the day length starts getting a bit longer.  I am not sure, but think if I had the lights all year it would probably stress the birds and lead to them having a shorter life.  If you add lights to your chicken run, only do so for the shortest months.  There is no need to have them under lights all year.

Chickens have all the eggs they will ever lay inside them when they hatch.  I used to worry that adding lighting would mean they may lay out all their eggs too soon and then be barren in their later years. I am glad to say that this is not the case.  A vet told me they chickens have thousands of eggs inside them, they lay a small fraction of these over their life and the vast majority are never laid.  According to the vet, adding winter lighting can not make chickens lay out all their eggs too early in life.  This is reassuring to know.  

Some people worry that the chickens will not moult if given extra light.  This is not the case with these solar garden lights.  The lights are not bright enough to prevent moulting.  The chickens still get enough environmental queues to moult when they need to, and they tend to stagger moulting with some hens moulting and others still laying.  I currently have 11 old hens, and was getting 3 or 4 eggs per day in the depths of winter.  I use rather dim lights because they were cheap.  Given that people in places such as Ecuador raise chickens, and they moult with a little over 12 hours of sunlight year round, I doubt that having brighter lighting could prevent moulting.  

I have read on online poultry forums people expressing a concern that the chickens will not sleep and will die if they are provided with supplemental lighting.  This is an unrealistic concern.  Light does not prevent them from ever sleeping.  My solar garden lights are only on a few hours before they dim out.  People raise chickens in northern countries where the sun does not set for weeks on end, and they don't seem to have issues with hens falling dead from lack of sleep.  You can see in my photo that my hens are roosting with the light on them.  They were asleep when I opened the door and woke just before I took the photo.  Even when they are asleep, their pineal gland is detecting elevated levels of light, which brings them into lay.  

They still roost, and get enough light to induce laying

People have a concern that the chickens will be active when the lights are on, and not be able to find their way to roost once the lights suddenly switch off.  This is not an issue with these solar lights.  As you can see, my hens roost even with the light on.  Even if they were active, this would still not pose a problem.  These lights do not go from dazzling bright light to off in the blink of an eye.  These are not overly bright to begin with, and they slowly dim out after a few hours.  If the hens were active, they have plenty of time to get to the roost while the light slowly fades away.

Safety - Garden Lights Pose Little Risk

A large risk that must be considered is safety.  If you run an electrical cord and run a lamp in the chicken house there may be a fire risk.  These solar lights do not pose a fire risk.  If they get shorted out by rain or something they just stop working.  It is not the same as running a power cable from the house.  My lights are up off the ground where they are touching nothing other than wire, which also reduces the possibilities of fire hazard.  They produce next to no heat, so even if the lights were nestled in among straw they should not heat up enough to cause a fire.  Fire is a serious danger and is worth considering when you place your lights.  

Now that it is spring I will remove the lights and pack them away until next winter.  The solar lights helped my old hens lay eggs over winter, and now the days are long enough that the lights are not needed.  I plan to put the lights up again next winter, and ensure that my family has eggs year round.  

Where to Buy Solar Garden Lights for Chickens

If you’re thinking of trying solar lights for your own chickens, they’re easy to find online and generally quite affordable.  I’ve had the best luck with basic solar garden spotlights rather than anything too fancy, since all you really need is a steady, low level of light that can be positioned where you want it.

You can find a range of suitable options on Amazon here: solar garden lights.  I usually look for ones with adjustable heads, as this makes it much easier to position the light inside a shed or coop.

There’s no need to spend a lot of money on this.  The cheaper solar lights tend to work just as well for this purpose, especially if you’re only using them over the winter months and packing them away for the longer daylight months.  They don't need to produce much light to noticeably increase the number of eggs laid.