Providing well-designed perches to laying hens is critical not only for behavioral welfare but for bone health, as perch use during key developmental periods significantly reduces the prevalence of osteoporosis in commercial flocks.
The relationship between perch access and bone health in laying hens represents a compelling case where behavioral welfare and physical health are deeply interconnected. Hens that use perches regularly during the rearing period develop stronger bones through mechanical loading, reducing their susceptibility to the osteoporosis and keel bone fractures that cause significant pain in commercial flocks. The high prevalence of keel bone fractures in cage-free systems reflects the fact that simply providing perches is insufficient if their design, placement, and introduction timing are suboptimal. Welfare-focused perch provision requires attention to height accessibility, surface texture, perch diameter, and early introduction during the pullet phase when skeletal development is most responsive to mechanical stimulation. Getting perch design right is one of the highest-impact welfare investments available to cage-free egg producers.