Beak trimming of laying hens to prevent feather pecking is widely practised and raises welfare questions about pain, stress and the root causes of pecking.
Beak trimming causes acute pain and may cause chronic pain due to neuromas forming at the trimmed site. However, the alternative - untreated feather pecking - causes injury, distress and death in affected birds. The long-term solution is addressing root causes: stocking density, light intensity, breed selection and providing adequate environmental enrichment. The Netherlands experience shows this is achievable.