Perches that Please

Mating Made Easier - Hen Grip


Perches, there type and placement, is a critical aspect of successful mating! I originally used the wooden dowel rod type perch but discovered that hens had trouble getting a good mating grip and that they soiled very quickly.

The middle photo shows the two perch styles that I use. The white perch, comes in two different lengths, 9 and 15 inches. It features sections of slightly different diameter. The sides of the perch are straight for better gripping. Eventually the perches wear out and the end separates from the perch. Another big advantage of these perches is they have a smooth surface and stay clean indefinitely. In fact I rarely need to wash them, some have worn out and I have never wash them even though they have been in an occupied bird cage a couple of years or longer! If there is anything I hate more than cleaning bird cages, it has to be cleaning bird perches!! I purchased these perches (I think the item number is #72 for the shorter perch and #74 for the longer perch),by the dozen from Aviary and Animal Pet Supply out of Powderly, Texas 903 785-2636.

The beige perch, pictured in all three photos, is 12 inches long and has the better design for hen gripping. Notice the oval top shape, shown in bottom picture and the open underside shown in the top picture. The perch top surface is textured and the underside has ridges on each side both of these features and its oval shape make gripping easier. Its surface does require at least monthly cleaning. There construction is heavier and they seem to last forever! I purchase these by the dozens from Ernest Cobb Cages, Alberta, Canada erniecobb@shaw.ca 403 279-0393. Usually, I have bought them from his booth at the National Cage Bird Show.