Do people actually debeak chicks?!

[patandchickens]

The beak does not necessarily grow back. It depends on the extent to which they were debeaked. I have two sex-links, bought as ready-to-lay pullets at the feed store last year, who of course (sigh) came debeaked. Theirs have not grown back, although wear has made them a bit less blunt than they used to be. And they were not as severely debeaked as many are.

They do ok. But I still think it's terrible thing to do, and to me the solution to "our chickens keep picking each other apart because they're so crowded and unhappy" is NOT just to chop off the bitey parts

Pat

 

[rebecca10782]

This is just the same as declawing cats (just because people dont want holes in there sweaters or couch). They say it is equivilent to taking a humans finger off at the knuckle.

 

[chicks for better health]

I hope my pullets grow their beaks back. They look pretty bad without them

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Yes, cruel and uncaring people do. The practice honestly disgusts me.

 

[JenniferC]

Well that's large scale factory farming.... Efficiency matters, but little else.

For many years I was a vegetarian, not because I thought eating meat was so bad- but because most meat that you could buy at the time came from places where the treatment of animals was inhumane and the impact on the environment was horrible.

That's one reason I'm so excited to be keeping my own chickens. I can get eggs without supporting deeply flawed systems.

Funny- egg cartons so often have cartoon-y pictures of happy chickens and family farms. Yet so few eggs that people buy actually result from either.

OK- getting off my soapbox now!

 

[SoccerMomof7]

It sounds cruel, but I too can see why it's done, I almost had to look into it with my 3 oldest chicks. They had penty of room and attention but they had pecked each other to death. They were so bloody I had to clean it several times a day and put stuff on them so they wouldn't peck. I could never actually bring myself to look into it just because it sounds horrible. ( Okay and I admit I thought, because of the name, they took the whole beaks off! What can I say I am a blonde!!

)

 

[peruvian_princess]

I have seen how they do it on tv i cant remember if it was on the hbo or dirty jobs but it does look gruesome & I personally wouldnt do it unless it was the absolute last option in a life and death situation.

 

[SoccerMomof7]

Quote:
Okay I saw a commercial they other day for "All Natural, Farm Fresh, 25% less fat eggs" WHAT? How is that possible or do I even want to know?

Edited to say:

I didn't do it to my chicks, just for the record, just lots of attentions and nurturing, once they quit bleeding and the wounds healed they quit pecking.