What is beak pecking?

Beak pecking is an abnormal behavior seen in poultry, particularly in laying hens kept in commercial egg production systems. It involves birds pecking at and damaging the feathers and skin of other birds. If left unchecked, it can lead to severe injury and cannibalism.

What causes beak pecking?

The exact causes of beak pecking are not fully understood but it is thought to be influenced by a number of factors:

• Stress – Stressors such as overcrowding, poor ventilation, nutritional deficiencies, fear, and boredom can trigger pecking outbreaks.
• Genetics – Some breeds and strains are more prone to pecking than others.
• Lighting – Too much light intensity and long photoperiods can encourage the behavior.
• Lack of foraging materials – Insufficient litter substrate and environmental enrichment to allow natural foraging behavior.
• Disease – Parasites and illnesses may cause birds to be irratable and prone to pecking.

It appears that stress coupled with the lack of adequate environmental stimulation leads birds to redirect their pecking instincts to the feathers and skin of flockmates. Outbreaks typically start with one bird beginning to peck at others, which then spreads quickly through the flock.

What are the stages of beak pecking?

Beak pecking progresses through several stages:

1. Gentle feather pecking – birds peck gently at tips of feathers causing little damage.
2. Severe feather pecking – harsh pulling and plucking of feathers leading to bare patches.
3. Vent pecking – pecking directed at the cloaca/vent area which can cause damage and bleeding.
4. Skin pecking – pecking that removes feathers and damages the skin surface.
5. Cannibalistic pecking – vicious pecking at wounds causing severe injury and mortality.

If it is not addressed, the pecking tends to intensify from gentle feather pecking to the cannibalistic form. Quick intervention is needed to stop the escalation.

What are the signs of beak pecking?

Look out for these signs that indicate a pecking problem in a flock:

• Feathers damaged – frayed, ripped out, or uneven
• Bald patches where feathers are missing
• Birds with wounds or scabs on skin
• Bloody vent/cloacal area
• Sudden increase in mortality
• Birds huddling in corners for safety
• Decline in egg production
• Cannibalism – dead birds partially eaten

A few frayed feathers is normal, but multiple birds with wounds indicates a serious pecking issue that must be addressed immediately before it claims lives.

Which birds are most affected?

Beak pecking mainly occurs in laying hens and breeding birds like broiler breeders. It rarely occurs in male chickens (cockerels/roosters) or in meat chickens (broilers).

The most common victims are:

• Laying hens
• Broiler breeders
• Pullets (young layers)
• End-of-lay hens

High producing hybrid laying hen strains such as White Leghorns are most susceptible due to high physiological and mental activity related to egg production.

Does beak trimming help prevent pecking?

Partial beak trimming or tipping is commonly done to reduce damage from pecking. Trimming the sharp tip of the upper and lower beak leaves the bird less able to grasp and pull feathers. However, beak trimming is controversial and banned in some countries due to welfare implications.

Pros of beak trimming:

• Reduces ability to inflict damage on flockmates.
• May help curb outbreaks in high risk flocks.

Cons:

• Causes acute and possibly chronic pain.
• Can impair feed intake and palatability if too severe.
• Does not address the root causes of pecking.
• May need to be repeated as beak grows back.

While beak trimming may reduce injurious pecking, the mutilation of birds to fit the production system indicates underlying management issues that need to be solved through improved husbandry and breeding.

How can beak pecking be managed?

Beak pecking should be controlled through good management and housing practices including:

• Avoid overcrowding – allow adequate space per bird.
• Provide extra environmental enrichment – pecking substrates, perches, dust baths.
• Ensure good ventilation, temperature control and litter quality.
• Use optimal lighting programs.
• Minimize external stressors and ensure proper nutrition.
• Choose suitable genetics – avoid highly nervous and flighty strains.
• Raise birds with intact beaks or use infrared beak treatment as a last resort.
• Identify and remove initiators.
• Act quickly at the first signs to stop escalation.

With good rearing conditions and management, it is possible to have flocks with intact beaks and negligible pecking issues.

What are the welfare implications?

Beak pecking has very serious detrimental effects on bird welfare:

• Pain – from beak trimming and from skin damage.
• Fear and distress.
• Inability to perform natural behaviors.
• Reduced feed intake.
• Sickness and cannibalism.
• Increased mortality.

Allowing birds to severely injure each other violates the basic principles of good animal welfare. Measures to curb pecking must consider bird welfare as the top priority.

What is the impact on egg production?

Beak pecking and cannibalism can lower egg production in flocks through:

• Reduced feed intake
• Diversion of energy away from egg-laying
• Loss of birds
• Lowered egg quality
• Damage to developing eggs

It is estimated that severe outbreaks can reduce egg production by 15-30%. This represents substantial loss of income for egg farmers. Controlling pecking is therefore vital for performance.

How many birds are affected by beak pecking?

As beak pecking is primarily seen in commercial laying hens, the number affected is in the hundreds of millions globally. Some statistics on the prevalence include:

• Up to 90% of flocks may show some signs of feather pecking.
• 5-15% of birds in a flock are victims of severe pecking.
• Mortality can range from 1% to over 10% in untreated flocks.
• 50% lower egg production in severely affected flocks.

These numbers indicate how widespread this damaging behavior is in the egg industry and the losses incurred.

Which countries have banned beak trimming?

Due to increasing concern over bird welfare, several countries have now prohibited routine beak trimming:

Other countries may allow only infrared beak treatment rather than conventional trimming. The trend is a move away from routine beak modification procedures on welfare grounds.

What are some preventative measures for beak pecking?

Here are some key preventive measures farmers can implement to avoid beak pecking issues:

• Genetic selection – Choose brown laying strains and avoid highly nervous breeds.
• Rearing – Provide proper space, enrichment, and stimulate foraging from young age.
• Lighting – Follow recommended lighting schedules for age.
• Nutrition – Ensure diet has adequate protein, minerals, and amino acids.
• Space – Don’t overcrowd sheds. Follow recommended space allowance.
• Environment – Good ventilation, dry litter, comfortable temperature.
• Enrichment – Perches, pecking blocks, grit, straw bales.
• Monitor – Frequently check birds for any pecking signs.

With attentive management and housing suited to natural behavior, it is possible to have minimal pecking in flocks.

What are some humane alternatives to beak trimming?

Some more humane alternatives to conventional beak trimming include:

• Infrared beak treatment – A gentler laser method that cauterizes the beak tip.
• Keeping birds with intact beaks – Allowing natural beak shape if pecking can be controlled through other means.
• Pecking plates – Blunt artificial beaks that attach to the bird’s beak.
• Improved husbandry – Better housing and management to minimize triggering factors.
• Breeding – Selecting breeding lines with less propensity to pecking.

Phasing out routine beak trimming requires addressing the fundamental reasons birds start pecking in the first place through enhanced welfare practices.

Conclusion

Beak pecking remains a significant welfare and production concern in today’s commercial laying flocks. While it may have complex roots, the solution lies in compassionate production systems where hen behavior and wellbeing are priorities. This requires continued research and advances in housing design, breeding goals, rearing conditions and management. With a comprehensive approach, the troubling issue of beak pecking can be overcome for the benefit of both birds and egg farmers.