Perches are a critical enrichment for laying hens, meeting behavioural needs for roosting and reducing fearfulness. The design and placement of perches significantly affects their welfare value.
Perch provision meets a fundamental behavioural need in hens, but the welfare benefit depends critically on design. Hens that cannot access perches show higher fearfulness and disturbed sleep patterns. Hens that can access poorly designed perches suffer keel bone fractures from collisions during landing — a painful injury that compromises welfare for extended periods. The height, spacing, angle, and surface texture of perches all affect keel bone injury risk. Modern aviary systems with multiple perch levels and landing boards that reduce impact forces can achieve both high perch use and lower fracture rates. Perch design is a specific, actionable welfare improvement that the laying hen sector can implement without fundamental system change.