Perch provision for laying hens is both a welfare benefit and a fracture risk, and evidence-based perch design is essential to realise the welfare gains without exacerbating the keel bone fracture crisis.
Perch provision for laying hens illustrates the complexity of welfare improvement — adding perches increases natural behaviour expression but also increases keel bone fracture risk if design and placement are not carefully managed. The net welfare benefit of well-designed perches is positive, with hens showing reduced competition and better sleep quality when roosting behaviour can be expressed. But the keel bone fracture epidemic in commercial laying hens is exacerbated by collision injuries during landing, making perch height, placement and design critical welfare engineering problems. Investment in evidence-based perch design — including emerging cushioned perch designs — can deliver the welfare benefit of roosting behaviour while reducing the welfare cost of landing injuries.