Sitting pretty

LIKE SLEEPING CHOOKS, WE’VE GOT ONE EYE OPEN ON THE PROS AND CONS OF PERCHES — WHY SOME TAKE TO THEM AND OTHERS DON’T

Megg Miller

Perching: it’s instinctive, right? But anyone who has bought pointof-lay ISAs or Hy-Lines is likely to have been frustrated by their inability to perch. Chicks mothered by a broody hen learn perching skills at an early age, but those reared in a brooder are not so lucky. Most keepers of the red layer pullets have had to introduce these birds to perching and the fact they can fly. These activities rely on spatial awareness, an understanding of distance and how best to get from A to B. It’s rather sad the commercial birds appear to have no ancestral memory of the need to perch nor the skills to achieve it. PERCHING A PRIORITY Landfowl perch at night for safety out of the reach of predators. Most fowls, if given half…

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Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, 15.4

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