[Ben94]

I have 2 hens laying while they are sat on there perch is there anything I can do to stop them?....also would there be a problem with using copper pipe as a perch?

[doganjo]

Is the perch quite wide?  Mine are only wide enough for them to get their claws round, not to lay on.

[Ben94]

Sorry should have been clearer they sit on the perch then the egg falls to the ground and breaks

[Fleecewife]

Individual hens seem to lay later and later each day, so they should soon get round to laying during the day in the usual way.

Meantime, lay a thick wodge of straw under the perch, higher at the edges than in the middle, so the eggs drop onto that, and don't roll away.  Our hens have sometimes layed on the perches, but as we use straw for litter, they don't break.

[nimbusllama]

Regarding the copper pipe, I would have thought that was not a good idea.  Chickens do not have the ability to grip like a bird, but rather rest on the perch, which is why they are normally square or rectangular.  So a circular pipe might be a challenge for them.

[Hevxxx99]

Agree. Cylindrical perches don't seem comfortable to hens and the metal would get very cold in winter.

[Steph Hen]

Depends on the diameter, but would think it'd get cold in winter time too.