Roosts/Perches

Hi everybody,
I'm a newbie to keeping chickens, and have just got three POL's which have sarted laying within 2 days of getting them home.
Please can anyone tell me if a roost is the same as a perch, the reason being I have built my own coop but did not put any in. Are they necessary, if so what are the specifications for 3 hens.
Thanks in advance.

Hello Burny! welcome to the site.  How lovely that you are already getting eggs from your girls.  What type of girls have you got?  lucyloux

 Thanks for your replies so quickly, I have 2 bluebells and 1 light sussex, the supplier I got them from didnt have any roosts in the 'sheds' so I didn't think it was important. I will certainly sort it out tomorrow for my little girls, and like you say Lucylou, at least they got a choice.

How far from the back wall should the perches be?

I've got two bantam hens I was given. Neither of them wants to use the perch at all. Instead, they settle down in the hay facing each other, one with its neck resting on the upper part of the back of the other. They have plenty of room in the henhouse, so I presume they do it for company and warmth. Either that or the perch is badly positioned or they were a bit cramped in their previous accommodation and got used to sleeping like that. I have to say, it's quite cute to see and they don't seem unhappy birds. We get an egg a day off each of them. I presume if they were stressed or discontented, that wouldn't be the case.

They need to have space from and back so that they can hop up or jump down without it behing awkward for them.  So depends how high the perch is.

Some of mine perch on an 18 in igh, all snuggle up together at one end, whilst others perch on the front edge of the nest box - about 3 inches high   And others prefer to snuggle up in the nest box itself.  I don't mind, poo washes off.