Tree/Shrub for chickens in yard

[ABQ chicken keeper]

Hi All,
New chicken owner here. I have 6 pullets that are about 19 weeks old. I have a 4x12 enclosed covered run for them but when I'm home, I let them free range in the yard. I do have a fenced in yard so no issues there. My yard is small (less than quarter acre) and I currently have a 20' White Pine tree in the back that they absolutely love hanging out under. The tree is dying from a beetle from the top down so I want to cut it down but looking for suggestions on what I can plant to replace it and give the girls something similar.

I live in Northeast Ohio so we get cold winters, plenty of snow and then 90 degree summers. The spot is mostly full sun. I think it would be fun/cool to have something like a cold hardy palm or something unique but I'm open to suggestions. Maximum height is not an issue but I don't really want something that will get more than 6-8' wide.

I'm open to suggestions!

Justin

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

Justin,
A Ginkgo biloba trees typically grow to be 50-80 feet tall, though some can reach over 100 feet. Their spread is usually around 30-40 feet, and they can grow at a rate of 1-2 feet per year. Ginkgo biloba trees are very cold-hardy, thriving in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9, which allows them to tolerate temperatures as low as -30°F (-34°C) once established.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

Justin,
A Ginkgo biloba trees typically grow to be 50-80 feet tall, though some can reach over 100 feet. Their spread is usually around 30-40 feet, and they can grow at a rate of 1-2 feet per year. Ginkgo biloba trees are very cold-hardy, thriving in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9, which allows them to tolerate temperatures as low as -30°F (-34°C) once established.

Also a Ginkgo can be trimmed, the tree does drop its leaves.

 

[atomic]

There’s a bamboo patch that my chickens love to hunker down into. I can’t even see them! Of course I have no idea the growing requirements for bamboo as they were already there when I moved in.

 

[Jaypown]

The ginkgo will be too big. I did buy a few small plants to put in the ground. A forsythia, a blueberry and a viburnum. In the picture, the brown area is where I’m looking at and where the pine tree was.

 

[EggyErin]

My chickens love hanging out under our blueberry bushes. And you can’t just have one blueberry bush! You need at least three for visual symmetry, more berries and more lounging area. That brown space is perfect for looking at as an outdoor room - plants are like furniture.

 

[perkolator]

Personally I’d put fruit trees in the space, unless you utilize that grass for something. We have an orchard and the chickens forage the ground under all my trees when I let them out. It used to be just grass around the trees but I’ve started mulching and added understory plants sort of like a tree guild. The chickens seem happier in that setup from the variety of plants and insects, and have various cover options throughout the yard