What is beak trimming for?

[AnnieFoothills]

I am purchasing some hatched chicks and I can opt to have them beak trimmed.
It sounds barbaric, but I am guessing there is a welfare reason to have it done.
For what reason should I have it done (or not)?
many thanks.

 

[CluckerFamily]

It is for the large chicken farms so that the chicks in tight quarters can’t peck each other to cause damage.

 

[ScratchNbawk]

Personally, I think it is barbaric. Some commercial egg companies do this to prevent the hens from hurting each other due to them being squashed together with no space.
Just provide your hens with enough space - I’m not saying you’ll never have any problems, but they’ll be greatly reduced (the problems).

 

[CluckerFamily]

Personally, I think it is barbaric. Some commercial egg companies do this to prevent the hens from hurting each other due to them being squashed together with no space.
Just provide your hens with enough space - I’m not saying you’ll never have any problems, but they’ll be greatly reduced (the problems).

I completely agree.
It truly isn’t needed if you are having your own flock no matter how many you get and if they have plenty of space to live in.
If you google pictures of beak trimming, you will only look at a couple and feel completely Disgusted in this practice.

 

[casportpony]

I am purchasing some hatched chicks and I can opt to have them beak trimmed.
It sounds barbaric, but I am guessing there is a welfare reason to have it done.
For what reason should I have it done (or not)?
many thanks.

Welcome to BYC, no need to have their beaks trimmed, but I do suggest having them vaccinated for Marek's.

Debeaking links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debeaking
https://backyardchickenchatter.com/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-to-chicken-debeaking/

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some good links from Casportpony. I'll try to add a bit extra.

I am purchasing some hatched chicks and I can opt to have them beak trimmed.
It sounds barbaric, but I am guessing there is a welfare reason to have it done.

If you think about it, it can be considered pretty barbaric to spay or neuter dogs or cats, yet a lot of people do that and are praised for it. There are a lot of things in animal husbandry that if you just read about them they seem barbaric and cruel, but if you understand why it is done and how it is done it's not. Many of those things are not cruel at all and are necessary for the health and wellbeing of the animal. In my opinion, the further you are from raising animals for a living and the less you know about how they are kept and how they behave the more likely you are to think these things barbaric. There are some practices I don't like so that's not a blanket statement.

For what reason should I have it done (or not)?

It's generally to stop some form of cannibalism. If you provide enough room for your chickens and feed them reasonably well this is not likely to be a problem. Housing them in tight quarters increases your chances of these problems. Each chicken is an individual so no matter how much room you give them or how you feed them one can be a problem, but the odds of that are pretty small unless they are crowded. To me providing enough space can be a better preventative than de-beaking.

If cannibalism develops in your flock de-beaking can be a solution instead of eating the offending chicken. It may have a place but to me that is a last resort, not a starting point.

If you de-beak a chicken it can have trouble picking things up with it's beak or pecking things up into bite-sized pieces. It may have trouble catching insects or other creepy crawlies to eat if they forage or picking up bits of grain or such. It may have problems pecking off bits of green leaves to eat. If mine catch a frog or something too big to eat they will cut it into bite sized pieces with their beaks. If you de-beak them they can't do that. The commercial operations where they do de-beak them as chicks don't feed crumbles or pellets since they can have trouble picking them up. They feed them mash, a powder form of feed. And they wet that mash to form a paste so it is easier to eat.

There are consequences to de-beaking. I do not debeak mine because of the way I manage them, it is not necessary and would hinder mine foraging for a good part of their food. When someone in the forum is looking for ways to stop cannibalism, feather pecking, or such, I do not recommend de-beaking as a possible solution, I don't like it that much. But some commercial operations use de-beaking to keep their flocks from killing each other. Many of the hatcheries we buy from also sell to commercial operations so they offer the procedure. I'm not going to condemn them for that, I'll just not use that procedure.

 

[AnnieFoothills]

Thank you all, it seems I will not be needing beak trimming For my chicks. All responses very much appreciated.
Have a great day!

 

[ScratchNbawk]

If you think about it, it can be considered pretty barbaric to spay or neuter dogs or cats, yet a lot of people do that and are praised for it. There are a lot of things in animal husbandry that if you just read about them they seem barbaric and cruel, but if you understand why it is done and how it is done it's not.

I understand how and why this procedure is done, I just don’t agree with it unless it truly is necessary on a case by case basis.

Many of those things are not cruel at all and are necessary for the health and wellbeing of the animal.

I don’t think it’s necessary in most cases if you make sure they have the basics: enough space, good nutrition, etc.
I think, as a culture, our use of this practice is proof of just how much we care about chicken health and well-being. Instead of practicing good animal husbandry, we sometimes think of them as brainless objects that magically provide food for us. I’m guilty of this , but my chickens are reprogramming me.

In my opinion, the further you are from raising animals for a living and the less you know about how they are kept and how they behave the more likely you are to think these things barbaric.

Well, I think that’s a pretty big assumption (unless you’ve gone back and read all my post and realized you’re right?). But, what I’m trying to say is ... my opinion on this topic has nothing to do with how far or close I am to raising animals for a living. There are probably many people who have loads of experience who feel the same way. There’s probably people with no husbandry experience at all who think the practice should be done.
I get what you’re saying, and the practice is widely used. If major farms didn’t do it, those poor birds would tear each other apart because they’re packed in like sardines. I know for many farms, this practice isn’t a choice, it’s required by ... very powerful companies who own everything? Or, I suppose capitalism is simply no friend to the chicken. My state finally passed laws that give a few more rights to chickens, I just hope things keep going in that direction. The closer I get to raising animals for a living, the more I learn, and the more I care about the health of an animal I feed to my neighbors and family.
I meant no offense to anyone, and I understand people need to make money. I was just sharing my opinion.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mine is just an opinion too. I'm not just talking about de-beaking chickens. If you want two male plow horses to work together they better be neutered if there are any females around. They are safer to work around too if neutered. Same thing with trying to raise several cattle of the male persuasion together, plus the benefit of the meat not becoming gamey and remaining tender much longer. A nose ring will hurt but it may be the only way to be able to control an intact bull or boar hog or keep a hog from destroying a fence with its rooting. De-winging allows birds to be kept on pasture behind electric fences and safer from coyotes or such. Yolking a cow to keep her from going through fences may mean the difference in keeping her or getting rid of her. Dad did not yolk all his cows but over the years a specific cow or bull earned that treatment.

At first glance all these things appear barbaric, especially if you don't know why they are being done. To me dubbing a rooster because it is a requirement by the SOP to show him doesn't pass my test of a good thing to do, but if you are dubbing him because of frostbite it could be a good move.

In my opinion, the further you are from raising animals for a living and the less you know about how they are kept and how they behave the more likely you are to think these things barbaric.

This is an opinion, that's why I called it an opinion. I base it on what I have seen through the several decades of my life. If you notice I used weasel words like "more likely" to show that I'm not talking about everybody, just general tendencies.