Feather pecking and cannibalism are serious welfare problems in laying hen flocks causing injury, pain, and death. Understanding causes and prevention strategies is essential for flock managers.
Feather pecking causes a cascade of welfare harms: target birds suffer pain from pecking wounds, blood visibility escalates attacks from other birds, and cannibalistic outbreaks can cause rapid mortality. The behaviour is driven by a combination of genetics, environment, and management — meaning it is largely preventable with appropriate husbandry rather than being an inevitable consequence of keeping hens together. Beak trimming reduces injury risk but involves tissue removal causing acute and potentially chronic pain. The welfare ideal is to address feather pecking through management improvements — lighting, litter provision, stocking density, and nutritional balance — rather than relying on prophylactic beak trimming. This requires genuine commitment to husbandry excellence.