Beak trimming is a painful mutilation performed to reduce pecking injury in laying hens, with evidence-based alternatives addressing root causes.
Beak trimming causes acute pain during the procedure and potentially chronic phantom pain depending on method. The procedure is performed to manage a welfare problem caused by inadequate housing conditions rather than addressing its root cause. Countries that have prohibited beak trimming demonstrate that alternatives work when producers invest in enrichment, appropriate stocking density and good breed selection. The perpetuation of beak trimming as a management tool delays the investment in environmental improvement that would address feather pecking more fundamentally.