Laying Hen Welfare: Perch Design and Use

Perches are essential for laying hen welfare, allowing expression of roosting behaviour, reducing floor crowding, and improving foot and leg health, but perch design and placement significantly influence whether hens actually use them.

Key Facts

Wild-type red junglefowl ancestors of laying hens have a strong instinct to roost off the ground at night
Providing perches reduces aggression and competition at floor level by increasing effective usable space
Rounded perch edges and appropriate diameter (3-4 cm) reduce foot injuries compared to sharp-edged perches
Perch height, positioning, and accessibility influence uptake - hens avoid perches placed too close to walls or in dark areas
Keel bone fractures can occur when hens collide with perches when landing, making perch placement design critical

Welfare Considerations

Perches represent a welfare essential for laying hens that goes beyond simple space provision. The opportunity to roost at height satisfies a strong behavioural motivation and is associated with improved welfare indicators. However, poorly designed or positioned perches can cause injuries - both from falls and collisions during landing. The design of aviary systems requires careful attention to perch placement, ramp gradients, and lighting to facilitate safe access and use. Simply providing perches without ensuring they are safely accessible and used represents an incomplete welfare solution.

What You Can Do

Look for egg labels specifying aviary or free-range systems where hens have genuine perch access
Advocate for perch design standards to be specified in laying hen welfare codes rather than just perch provision
Support research into optimal perch designs that balance usage with collision injury risk
Engage with egg producers and retailers about their monitoring of perch usage and injury rates
Reduce consumption of eggs from cage systems where perch access is absent or inadequate