Perch access in laying hen housing provides multiple welfare benefits including improved bone density, better sleep quality, and reduced pecking behavior. Perch design significantly affects uptake and welfare outcomes.
Perch provision represents one of the clearest welfare wins available in commercial egg production. Hens are strongly motivated to perch for sleep and show preference for higher perches when given the choice, consistent with antipredator behavior. The bone density benefits of perch use from an early age are measurable and significant — perch-reared hens arrive at the laying facility with better skeletal condition. However, perch design matters: round perches of inappropriate height are actually associated with more keel fractures than well-designed alternatives. Flat-edged perches at appropriate heights with gradual slopes for mounting deliver the behavioral benefit without the fracture risk.