Farm Animals

Farm Animal: Laying Hen Perch Design Welfare

Perch design significantly affects laying hen welfare, with inappropriate perches causing foot injuries, keel bone damage and reduced rest quality.

Key Facts

Hens need to perch at night as an innate resting behaviour
Round perches cause more keel bone damage than flattened oval designs
Perch height, spacing and access routes affect proportion of hens using them
In enriched colony cages perch space is often inadequate per bird
Free-range systems with well-designed perching space show better perch usage rates

Welfare Considerations

Keel bone fractures affect over 50% of laying hens in some studies, with perch design a major contributing factor. Fractures cause chronic pain affecting behaviour, feed intake and egg production. Improved perch design reduces fracture rates at relatively low cost - a straightforward welfare improvement opportunity.

What You Can Do

Support laying hen welfare standards requiring evidence-based perch design
Choose eggs from farms with higher welfare housing standards
Advocate for keel bone fracture rates to be monitored in farm assurance schemes
Fund research into perch design optimisation for keel bone health