Beak trimming of laying hens is performed to prevent injurious feather pecking but itself causes pain and reduces the hen's ability to perform natural behaviors. Higher welfare systems seek alternatives to beak trimming.
Both beak trimming and the injurious pecking it prevents represent welfare problems with different causes. Beak trimming, even with infrared methods, can cause lasting changes to beak sensitivity and affects how hens interact with their environment. However, feather pecking in affected flocks causes significant suffering to victim birds. The welfare solution lies in addressing the root causes of feather pecking — providing adequate enrichment, appropriate stocking density, and good management — rather than accepting either beak trimming or pecking as inevitable.