The Woodland Trust

Trees: a basic necessity for hen health and well-being

Today’s consumers increasingly expect that egg production will meet high standards of animal welfare, will result in a safe and nutritious product and respect the natural environment. This trend is reflected in the U K market, where in 2016 UK produced almost 10.5 billion eggs of which 50% were from free range chickens. Contemporary farming is discovering new ways to prioritise animal welfare and the quality of their products and to meet the demand for free range, natural foods. Tree planting on hen ranges is one such solution.

The Woodland Trust is a passionate exponent of planting trees on ranges, explaining that integrating woodland encourages ranging and other natural behaviours in flocks - they are after all descendants of jungle fowl. This leads to improvements in animal health and welfare, as well as improvements in production – both in the quantity and quality of eggs. As free range woodland eggs command a premium price, this practice can lead to a boost in the farmer’s income. The Farm Animal Welfare Council explains five simple ways to give chickens the freedom they need to live and produce naturally:

Freedom from hunger and thirst 

Freedom from discomfort 

Freedom from pain and injury 

Freedom to express normal behaviour 

Freedom from fear and distress

The trust’s senior farming adviser Helen Chesshire explains: “Planting trees on poultry farms will improve animal welfare, replicating some of the conditions that encourage natural behaviours such as foraging, scratching and dust bathing. Well-designed tree planting encourages better use of the range by providing cover, shelter, and shade and to be effective should be close to the housing as hens are reluctant to cross open ground.”