Laying Hen Welfare: The Evidence Base for Perch Provision

Perches are a fundamental welfare requirement for laying hens, enabling natural roosting behaviour, bone strength, and keel bone health — yet compliance with perch standards remains variable.

Key Facts

Laying hens are strongly motivated to roost on elevated perches overnight
Perch use strengthens leg muscles and improves bone density through dynamic loading
Keel bone fractures affect up to 80% of hens in some enriched cage and barn systems
Perch height, design, and substrate affect whether hens can use them safely
Round wooden perches are associated with better keel bone outcomes than plastic alternatives

Welfare Considerations

The provision of adequate, well-designed perches is one of the most evidence-based welfare improvements available for laying hens. Hens denied perching access show behavioural frustration, weakened leg bones, and poorer keel bone outcomes. Despite legal requirements for perch provision in EU enriched cages and barn systems, compliance in terms of perch quality and design is often poor. The keel bone fracture epidemic — affecting the majority of hens in many commercial systems — represents a major ongoing welfare failure linked to perch design and landing surface quality.

What You Can Do

Advocate for mandatory keel bone scoring as a welfare metric in laying hen farm assurance schemes
Support research into perch design improvements that reduce keel bone fracture incidence
Choose eggs from systems with published keel bone welfare data where available
Engage with retailers to require keel bone fracture monitoring in their laying hen supply chains
Promote free-range and organic systems that typically show lower keel bone fracture prevalence