Benefits of shade and shelter for meat chickens and layer hens

Access to an outside area provides meat chickens and layer hens with the opportunity to perform their normal behaviours including pecking, exploration, and dust bathing, thereby promoting positive mental experiences and welfare. However, it’s important for all chickens with outdoor access to have appropriate shade and shelter.

This is because modern breeds of chicken are descended from the red junglefowl, which lives in the dense, dry forests of Southeast Asia. As a ground living bird, they spend much of their time scratching for food and keeping an eye on the skies for predators, such as hawks. Unsurprisingly, studies have shown that farmed chickens have a clear preference to be around trees and shrubs rather than wide open fields.

The provision of trees or artificial structures on the range creates an environment that is more suited to the animal’s requirements and provides animals with a positive experience.

SPCA Certified standards for meat chickens and layer hens require that shade/shelter for chickens covers at least 20% of the range. This goes further than the legal minimum standards, which does not set any requirements around the quantity or quality of shelter.

SPCA Certified requires shade and shelter close to the shed to encourage the chickens out onto the range. Where deciduous or immature trees are being used for shade and shelter purposes, other forms of overhead protection must be provided until those trees provide sufficient cover for the birds.

Shade and shelter for chickens can have multiple benefits beyond providing for the animals’ normal behaviour. For example, shade reduces light intensity and gives overhead protection, reducing heat stress, and helps reduce parasite burden near the shed by drawing chickens out onto the range.

See the two infographics below to learn more about the many benefits of providing shade and shelter for meat chickens and layer hens.

If you are a farmer interested in finding more about becoming SPCA Certified, reach out to our friendly team at certified@spca.nz.