Should we have our chicks debecked?

[tiffanyh]

My reds came from an auction already debeaked--it apparently doesnt always stop the feather plucking because they are my main feather pluckers--on themselves and others....

 

[Farmer Kitty]

NO! I even had a customer inquire whether or not mine were debeaked. She would not have bought any if they had been!

 

[ebaribault]

Someone told me that I needed to debeak my chickens so they wouldn't break the eggs.
It felt wrong thinking about doing it and now I will never do it.

Thank you all for helping me realize this is wrong,

best wishes,
Ed

 

[patandchickens]

I have 2 (formerly 3) debeaked hens because that's the way they came when ordered as ready-to-lay pullets from the feedstore. (I probably should have known they'd come debeaked but what can I say, I didn't, but what was I going to do, refuse delivery?) They do okay as long as I exercise a little extra care in how I feed them.

However I would not buy another debeaked chicken and would =NEVER=EVER= have any debeaked at my request. Its ONLY purpose is to let them be kept in highly stressful conditions with less pecking at each other. It does NOT relieve the stress and crowding; it is just a 'band aid' over one of the symptoms. I guess if a factory farm is bound and determined to keep 'em in those conditions they probably better off debeaked than pecking each other to pieces but to me the solution is to give them enough space that they can be reasonably happy.

On a practical level, there is some evidence that it causes lasting pain (when done the way it is generally done commercially), and it certainly affects their ability to free-range.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[AussieSharon]

I've never had a debeaked chicken but watching the ones at a neighbors who are debeaked trying to eat is just plain sad. My humble opinion... if they were meant to have shorter top beaks God would have created them that way.

 

[Sharisr32]

I have seen alot in this hobby debeaking has to be the ugliest - On error a hatchery sent me 50 chicks 25 rir and 25 leghorns all debeaked - what a mess i lost ten and the rest i had to aid with eating and drinking for 5 days - then they went off to pet land down the street - it is awful looking even when they get older --

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I have 4 debeaked girls. It makes me want to cry when they try to drink water. It runs down there chest and they do get some down. I am no longer feeding pellets because they cant pick it up as well se we got them on crumble. Please dont do it

 

[hooligan]

No.

 

[Lunachick]

Don't.

 

[Professional]

Quote:
Not to get into a philosophical discussion here, but point of fact, man created chickens from red junglefowl and various hybrids with other junglefowl species, not god.

I do agree with the others who don't like bebeaking, altough not so much from an emotional point of view.
1) It's just plain ugly.
2) It's really done out of lazines and/or greed, as some have said, by or for those who don't want to spend the effort to house them properly in the first place.

Debeaking does not affect their ability to free range. It's not their legs that they cut off.