(with no raking on my part ) and have spread them over the garden to mulch over the winter.
would it be better to let the leaves sit and compress & break down under the snow and then put the chickens out in say late march or so (after the thaw) before planting in may?
i would vote now they will help break down the leaves and if you do it in the spring their dropping may not have time to compost and they will be to "hot"..
every deer season, after "our" meat is cut off of the deer, i toss the chickens a leg, which they promptly go about picking clean. 