Help need opinions on debeaking

Nslangton

Songster
10 Years
Jan 19, 2012
201
9
144
Getting my first order of day old chicks in a few weeks from Moyers Chicks in PA. I am getting 6 egg-layers. Have the brooder ready. We built a heated coop that is 4'x6' with an 8' ceiling. 2 nest boxes, 2 large perches. The outside run is 8'x10' and is also 8' high. The hatchery reccomeded to debeak the chicks so they don't peck each other to death. Should I have them do this? Will the coop and run be too small for 6 chicks? The debeaking sounds cruel to me.
 
I have never had any of my chickens debeaked. I think the only time chickens peck each other that badly is when they are stressed and crammed into battery cages practically on top of each other. I personally would never choose to have that done to my babies. Congrats on your new chicks!!
 
Please do not debeak them. The coop is plenty roomy for them, the run is a great size, just give them some roosts or even a cement block or something they can fly up to in the run, if they need to run away from each other and they'll be fine.
 
Typically chickens are only de-beaked if kept in very small cages or severely overcrowded. And even then it is a cruel practice. NO backyard chicken flock should ever be de-beaked, there just isn't reason to.

IF you ever have problems with chickens picking on each other, just give them more space (ie, free-ranging) and hiding spots and they will be fine.
big_smile.png


Hope this helps!
 
I agree with the previous posts. It's not necessary. I have two productions reds that I bought already laying and they were debeaked. My three BR's are not debeaked. The reds have more issues grooming, one had lice that were tricky to get rid of and I think not having the longer beak made it difficult for her to naturally groom herself.
 
Debeaking is cruel, please don't. i have hens i raised from babys and they really dont peck each other. we rescued some hens who where debeaked and the poor things had a really hard time free ranging, they could not eat treat blocks or peck and eat anything harder, they even had hard time with treats, like pumpkins, melons, i felt so sorry for the poor things
 
De-beaking is a horrible practice.
Its very painful to the chicks and they do it while they are still awake without any anesthesia.
The only real reason why de-beaking even exists it to prevent battery hens from pecking each other to death.
And they wouldn't try to peck each other to death if they weren't squish in to small cages with other chickens, where they have no space and never see daylight.
Please don't ever support de-beaking. Chickens have beaks for a reason and its very hard for them to eat without them.

If you ever have a problem with picking you could always use "no pick sprays" or in some desperate situation pinless peepers.
But most of the time, if they have enough space to get away, they will be fine

Backyard flocks are almost never de-beaked and chickens with beaks are happy chickens
smile.png
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom