Debeaking
Encyclopedia
Debeaking, also called beak-trimming is the partial removal of the beak
of poultry
, especially layer hens
and turkeys
although it may also be performed on quail
and ducks. Most commonly, the beak is shortened permanently, although regrowth can occur. The trimmed lower beak is somewhat longer than the upper beak. USA's UEP
guidelines suggest that in egg laying strains of chickens, the length of the upper beak distal from the nostrils which remains following trimming, should be 2 to 3 mm. In the UK, the Farm Animal Welfare Council
stated "The accepted procedure is to remove not more than one third of the upper and lower beaks or not more than one third of the upper beak only" but then went on to recommend “Where beak trimming is carried out, it should, wherever possible, be restricted to beak tipping; that is the blunting of the beak to remove the sharp point which can be the cause of the most severe damage to other birds.” The term “debeaking” implies that the entire beak is removed during the trimming process, though in reality only half or less of the beak is removed.
Beak-trimming is most common in egg-laying strains of chickens. In some countries such as the United States, turkeys are routinely beak-trimmed, however, in the UK, only 10% of turkeys are beak-trimmed. Beak-trimming is a preventive measure to reduce damage caused by injurious pecking such as cannibalism
, feather pecking
and vent pecking
, and thereby improve livability. Commercial broiler chickens are not routinely beak-trimmed as they reach slaughter weight at approximately 6 weeks of age, i.e. before injurious pecking usually begins. However, broiler breeding stock may be trimmed to prevent damage during mating. In some countries, beak trimming is done as a last resort where alternatives are considered not to be possible or appropriate. Beak-trimming has been banned in Switzerland since 1992.
In close confinement, cannibalism, feather pecking and aggression are common among turkeys, duck
s, pheasant
s, quail
, and egg laying strains of chickens of many breeds (including both heritage breeds and modern hybrids
). The tendency to cannibalism and feather pecking varies among different strains of chickens, but does not manifest itself consistently. Some flocks of the same breed may be entirely free from cannibalism, while others, under the same management, may have a serious outbreak. Mortalities mainly due to cannibalism can be up to 15% in egg laying flocks housed in aviaries, straw yards, and free-range systems.
Because egg laying strains of chickens can be kept in smaller group sizes in caged systems, cannibalism is reduced leading to a lowered trend in mortality as compared to non-cage systems. Cannibalism among flocks is highly variable and when it is not problematic, then mortalities among production systems are similar.
Cannibalism is a serious management problem dating back to the periods before intensive housing of poultry became popular. Poultry books written before vertical integration of the poultry industry
describe the vices of poultry:
Cannibalism has two peaks in the life of a chicken; during the brooding period and at the onset of egg laying. The point-of-lay cannibalism is generally the most damaging and gets most of the attention. The temporary beak-trimming developed at the Ohio Experiment Station assumed that cannibalism was a phase, and that blunting the beak temporarily would be adequate.
or secateurs), electrical (the Bio-beaker) and infrared
. The latter two methods usually remove only the tip of the beak and do not leave an open wound, therefore they may offer improvements in welfare. Other approaches such as the use of lasers, freeze drying and chemical retardation have been investigated but are not in widespread use. The infrared method directs a strong source of heat into the inner tissue of the beak and after a few weeks, the tip of the upper and lower beak dies and drops off making the beak shorter with blunt tips. The Bio-beaker, which uses an electric current to burn a small hole in the upper beak, is the preferred method for trimming the beaks of turkeys. The Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) wrote regarding beak-trimming of turkeys that cold cutting was the most accurate method, but that substantial re-growth of the beak occurred; although the Bio-beaker limited beak re-growth, it was less accurate; and that the hot cut was the most distressing procedure for the turkeys.
In the UK, beak-trimming of layer hens normally occurs at 1-day of age as the chick is being sexed and vaccinated.
following trimming. A bird’s ability to consume feed is impaired following beak-trimming because of the new beak shape and pain. Most studies report reduced body weights and feed intake following beak-trimming, however, by sexual maturity or peak egg production, growth rates are usually normal. Weight losses were reduced in chicks that were beak-trimmed by infrared compared with chicks trimmed by a hot-blade.
Beak-trimming in the poultry industry usually occurs without anaesthetic at 1-day of age or when the chicks are very young, but can occur at a later age if an outbreak of feather pecking occurs, and in some cases, birds may be beak-trimmed on repeated occasions.
The beak is a complex, functional organ with an extensive nervous supply including nociceptors that sense pain and noxious stimuli. These would almost certainly be stimulated during beak-trimming, indicating strongly that acute pain would be experienced. Behavioural evidence of pain after beak-trimming in layer hen chicks has been based on the observed reduction in pecking behavior, reduced activity and social behavior, and increased sleep duration. In Japanese quail
, beak-trimming by cauterization caused lower body weights and feed intake in the period just after beak-trimming. Beak-trimmed Muscovy ducks spent less time engaging in beak-related behaviours (preening, feeding, drinking, exploratory pecking) and more time resting than non-trimmed ducks in the days immediately post-trim. These differences disappeared by 1 week post-trim. At 1 week post-trim the trimmed ducks weighed less than non-trimmed ducks, but this difference disappeared by 2 weeks post-trim. It is, however, unclear if the above changes in behaviour arise from pain or from a loss of sensitivity in the beak. Pecking force has been found to decrease after beak-trimming in adult hens possibly indicating that hens are protecting a painful area from further stimulation. However, pecking force did not differ between chicks with or without minor beak-trims at 2 to 9 days of age, suggesting that chicks with minor beak-trims do not experience pain from the beak.
Severe beak-trimming, or beak-trimming birds at an older age, may cause chronic pain. Following beak-trimming of older or adult hens, the nociceptors in the beak stump show abnormal patterns of neural discharge, which indicate acute pain. Neuromas, tangled masses of swollen regenerating axon sprouts, are found in the healed stumps of birds beak-trimmed at 5 weeks of age or older and in severely beak-trimmed birds. Neuromas have been associated with phantom pain
in human amputees and have therefore been linked to chronic pain in beak-trimmed birds. If beak-trimming is severe because of improper procedure or done in older birds, the neuromas will persist which suggests that beak-trimmed older birds experience chronic pain
, although this has been debated.
.
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
of poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
, especially layer hens
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
and turkeys
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
although it may also be performed on quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
and ducks. Most commonly, the beak is shortened permanently, although regrowth can occur. The trimmed lower beak is somewhat longer than the upper beak. USA's UEP
United Egg Producers
United Egg Producers is an agricultural cooperative in the Midwestern United States which represents the interests of regional egg producers.-History:The group was formed in 1968 as an umbrella organization encompassing five regional egg cooperatives...
guidelines suggest that in egg laying strains of chickens, the length of the upper beak distal from the nostrils which remains following trimming, should be 2 to 3 mm. In the UK, the Farm Animal Welfare Council
Farm Animal Welfare Council
The Farm Animal Welfare Council was an independent advisory body established by the Government of Great Britain in 1979. FAWC has published its Final Report before its closure on 31 March 2011...
stated "The accepted procedure is to remove not more than one third of the upper and lower beaks or not more than one third of the upper beak only" but then went on to recommend “Where beak trimming is carried out, it should, wherever possible, be restricted to beak tipping; that is the blunting of the beak to remove the sharp point which can be the cause of the most severe damage to other birds.” The term “debeaking” implies that the entire beak is removed during the trimming process, though in reality only half or less of the beak is removed.
Beak-trimming is most common in egg-laying strains of chickens. In some countries such as the United States, turkeys are routinely beak-trimmed, however, in the UK, only 10% of turkeys are beak-trimmed. Beak-trimming is a preventive measure to reduce damage caused by injurious pecking such as cannibalism
Cannibalism (poultry)
Cannibalism is a behavioural problem that occurs most frequently amongst domestic hens reared for egg production, although it can also occur amongst domestic turkeys, pheasants reared as gamebirds, and other poultry species. Cannibalism occurs when one bird pecks at the skin of another and devours...
, feather pecking
Feather pecking
Feather pecking is a behavioural problem that occurs most frequently amongst domestic hens reared for egg production, although it does occur in other poultry such as pheasants, turkeys, ducks and is sometimes seen in farmed ostriches. Feather pecking occurs when one bird repeatedly pecks at the...
and vent pecking
Vent pecking
Vent pecking is an abnormal behaviour of birds performed primarily by commercial egg-laying hens. It is characterised by pecking damage to the cloaca, the surrounding skin and underlying tissue...
, and thereby improve livability. Commercial broiler chickens are not routinely beak-trimmed as they reach slaughter weight at approximately 6 weeks of age, i.e. before injurious pecking usually begins. However, broiler breeding stock may be trimmed to prevent damage during mating. In some countries, beak trimming is done as a last resort where alternatives are considered not to be possible or appropriate. Beak-trimming has been banned in Switzerland since 1992.
In close confinement, cannibalism, feather pecking and aggression are common among turkeys, duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s, pheasant
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
s, quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
, and egg laying strains of chickens of many breeds (including both heritage breeds and modern hybrids
Sex Link
Sex-links are cross-bred chickens whose color at hatching is differentiated by sex, thus making chick sexing an easier process. Sex-links come in many varieties, few of which are a true breed...
). The tendency to cannibalism and feather pecking varies among different strains of chickens, but does not manifest itself consistently. Some flocks of the same breed may be entirely free from cannibalism, while others, under the same management, may have a serious outbreak. Mortalities mainly due to cannibalism can be up to 15% in egg laying flocks housed in aviaries, straw yards, and free-range systems.
Because egg laying strains of chickens can be kept in smaller group sizes in caged systems, cannibalism is reduced leading to a lowered trend in mortality as compared to non-cage systems. Cannibalism among flocks is highly variable and when it is not problematic, then mortalities among production systems are similar.
History
Beak-trimming was developed at the Ohio Experiment Station in the 1930s. The original form was temporary, cutting approximately 1/4" off the beak. It was thought that the tip of the beak had no blood supply and presumably no sensation. The procedure was performed by hand with a sharp knife, either when deaths due to cannibalism became excessive, or when the problem was anticipated because of a history of cannibalism in the particular strain of chicken.Cannibalism is a serious management problem dating back to the periods before intensive housing of poultry became popular. Poultry books written before vertical integration of the poultry industry
Corporate farming
Corporate farming is a term that describes the business of agriculture, specifically, what is seen by some as the practices of would-be megacorporations involved in food production on a very large scale...
describe the vices of poultry:
Chicks and adult birds' picking at each other until blood shows and then destroying one another by further picking is a source of great loss in many flocks, especially when kept in confinement .... The recommendation of the Ohio Experiment Station of cutting back the tip of the upper beak has been found to be effective until the beak grows out again.
Cannibalism has two peaks in the life of a chicken; during the brooding period and at the onset of egg laying. The point-of-lay cannibalism is generally the most damaging and gets most of the attention. The temporary beak-trimming developed at the Ohio Experiment Station assumed that cannibalism was a phase, and that blunting the beak temporarily would be adequate.
Current methods (2011)
In recent years, the aim has been to develop more permanent beak-trimming (although repeat trimming may be required), using electrically heated blades in a beak-trimming machine, to provide a self-cauterizing cut. There are currently (2011) four widely used methods of beak-trimming: hot blade, cold blade (including scissorsScissors
Scissors are hand-operated cutting instruments. They consist of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin...
or secateurs), electrical (the Bio-beaker) and infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
. The latter two methods usually remove only the tip of the beak and do not leave an open wound, therefore they may offer improvements in welfare. Other approaches such as the use of lasers, freeze drying and chemical retardation have been investigated but are not in widespread use. The infrared method directs a strong source of heat into the inner tissue of the beak and after a few weeks, the tip of the upper and lower beak dies and drops off making the beak shorter with blunt tips. The Bio-beaker, which uses an electric current to burn a small hole in the upper beak, is the preferred method for trimming the beaks of turkeys. The Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) wrote regarding beak-trimming of turkeys that cold cutting was the most accurate method, but that substantial re-growth of the beak occurred; although the Bio-beaker limited beak re-growth, it was less accurate; and that the hot cut was the most distressing procedure for the turkeys.
In the UK, beak-trimming of layer hens normally occurs at 1-day of age as the chick is being sexed and vaccinated.
Costs
The costs of beak-trimming relate primarily to welfare concerns. These include acute stress, and acute, possibly chronic, painPain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
following trimming. A bird’s ability to consume feed is impaired following beak-trimming because of the new beak shape and pain. Most studies report reduced body weights and feed intake following beak-trimming, however, by sexual maturity or peak egg production, growth rates are usually normal. Weight losses were reduced in chicks that were beak-trimmed by infrared compared with chicks trimmed by a hot-blade.
The pain of beak-trimming
Whether beak-trimming causes pain is a hotly debated concern. It is a complex issue as it may involve acute and/or chronic pain, and depends on the age it is performed, the method of trimming and the length of beak that is removed.Beak-trimming in the poultry industry usually occurs without anaesthetic at 1-day of age or when the chicks are very young, but can occur at a later age if an outbreak of feather pecking occurs, and in some cases, birds may be beak-trimmed on repeated occasions.
Acute pain
The beak is a complex, functional organ with an extensive nervous supply including nociceptors that sense pain and noxious stimuli. These would almost certainly be stimulated during beak-trimming, indicating strongly that acute pain would be experienced. Behavioural evidence of pain after beak-trimming in layer hen chicks has been based on the observed reduction in pecking behavior, reduced activity and social behavior, and increased sleep duration. In Japanese quail
Japanese Quail
The Japanese Quail, also known as Coturnix Quail, Coturnix japonica, is a species of Old World Quail found in East Asia. They are a migratory species, breeding in Manchuria, southeastern Siberia, northern Japan, and the Korean Peninsula, and wintering in the south of Japan and southern China. They...
, beak-trimming by cauterization caused lower body weights and feed intake in the period just after beak-trimming. Beak-trimmed Muscovy ducks spent less time engaging in beak-related behaviours (preening, feeding, drinking, exploratory pecking) and more time resting than non-trimmed ducks in the days immediately post-trim. These differences disappeared by 1 week post-trim. At 1 week post-trim the trimmed ducks weighed less than non-trimmed ducks, but this difference disappeared by 2 weeks post-trim. It is, however, unclear if the above changes in behaviour arise from pain or from a loss of sensitivity in the beak. Pecking force has been found to decrease after beak-trimming in adult hens possibly indicating that hens are protecting a painful area from further stimulation. However, pecking force did not differ between chicks with or without minor beak-trims at 2 to 9 days of age, suggesting that chicks with minor beak-trims do not experience pain from the beak.
Chronic pain
Severe beak-trimming, or beak-trimming birds at an older age, may cause chronic pain. Following beak-trimming of older or adult hens, the nociceptors in the beak stump show abnormal patterns of neural discharge, which indicate acute pain. Neuromas, tangled masses of swollen regenerating axon sprouts, are found in the healed stumps of birds beak-trimmed at 5 weeks of age or older and in severely beak-trimmed birds. Neuromas have been associated with phantom pain
Phantom pain
Phantom pain sensations are described as perceptions that an individual experiences relating to a limb or an organ that is not physically part of the body. Limb loss is a result of either removal by amputation or congenital limb deficiency . However, phantom limb sensations can also occur following...
in human amputees and have therefore been linked to chronic pain in beak-trimmed birds. If beak-trimming is severe because of improper procedure or done in older birds, the neuromas will persist which suggests that beak-trimmed older birds experience chronic pain
Chronic pain
Chronic pain has several different meanings in medicine. Traditionally, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has relied upon an arbitrary interval of time from onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since the initiation of pain, though some theorists and...
, although this has been debated.
Benefits
The benefits of beak-trimming relate to welfare advantages, some of which directly relate to increases (or reduced decreases) in production. These include reduced feather pecking and cannibalism, better feather condition, less fearfulness and nervousness, less chronic stress, and decreased mortality.Alternatives to beak trimming
A range of options have been proposed as possible alternatives to beak trimming including modifying the genetics of domesticated poultry to reduce cannibalistic tendencies. For confined housing where light control is possible, lowering light intensity so that birds cannot see each other as easily reduces antagonistic encounters and aggressive behaviour. Enrichment devices, introduced at an early age, as simple objects hung in a habitat can reduce aggressive behavior. Dividing the population into smaller group sizes reduces cannibalism. Proper body weight management that avoids underweight pullets reduces the probability of underweight pullets with uterine prolapse that leads to cloacal cannibalismVent pecking
Vent pecking is an abnormal behaviour of birds performed primarily by commercial egg-laying hens. It is characterised by pecking damage to the cloaca, the surrounding skin and underlying tissue...
.
External links
- Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation - Dr. Phillip C. Glatz' study (2000)
- Do Hens Suffer In Battery Cages? - Dr. Michael C. Appleby's study (1991)
- United Poultry Concerns - opponent of debeaking
- Information on debeaking of ducks
- Why do chickens peck each other?
- Farm Animal Welfare Council - Opinion on Beak Trimming of Laying Hens