Perches are a fundamental behavioral need for laying hens, and their provision — or absence — significantly affects hen welfare in modern egg production systems.
Perch access represents a fundamental welfare issue for laying hens that intersects biology, behavior, and bone health. Hens instinctively seek elevated roosting positions at night — it is a deep behavioral drive linked to predator avoidance that does not disappear in farm settings. Hens denied adequate perches cannot express this behavior and show signs of behavioral frustration. The impact on keel bone health is significant — keel bone fractures affect 50–80% of hens in caged and cage-free systems, causing chronic pain that impairs welfare throughout a hen's laying life. Better perch design — appropriate height, diameter, and sufficient linear length for all hens to roost simultaneously — reduces fracture rates. Yet minimum regulatory requirements often fail to meet the full flock's needs. Welfare assessment must go beyond perch presence to evaluate perch quality and utilization.