1000birds.com. Building A Castle, One Twig At A Time. Save the Duck - large - Worth1000.com forums. 1000birds.com. Winter Care For Your Chickens. Chicken Care: Staying Cool in the Sweltering Heat There are fortunately several strategies that can be used to reduce the losses and significantly lessen or even eliminate the problem of heat stress entirely. Providing shade is a good place to start. A chicken coop built with access to the shade of several good trees is a definite advantage. A deciduous tree, which is one that looses its leaves seasonally, is the best choice because this allows more sunlight to reach the chicken coop when it needs it most in the winter months. Some trees are especially poultry friendly, including mulberry trees which provide extra nutrition from their falling fruits.
Peach trees share a special symbiotic relationship with poultry. The poultry benefit from shade, insects and fallen fruits and the peach tree benefits from added nitrogen provided by manure, cultivation provided by the chickens scratching, and a significant reduction in pests like the peach borer. Feed your hens right when it is hot.