Feather pecking and cannibalism in laying hens and broiler chickens cause significant welfare harm and represent one of the most challenging management problems in poultry production.
Feather pecking is not an arbitrary welfare problem but a predictable consequence of housing highly motivated, intelligent birds at densities where their behavioural needs cannot be met. The conventional response — beak trimming — treats the symptom by reducing the physical damage rather than the cause. Addressing feather pecking through enrichment, lower density, lighting management, and breed selection represents a welfare-positive approach that improves both the welfare of peckers and pecked. Beak trimming should be treated as a failure of system design, not an acceptable management tool.