Beak trimming reduces injurious feather pecking but causes pain - infrared treatment at hatch is now preferred as a less welfare-damaging method.
Beak trimming is a welfare paradox: it prevents one form of suffering (feather pecking injuries) at the cost of another (pain from the procedure itself). Infrared treatment at hatch causes less chronic pain than hot blade trimming of older birds and is now the preferred method where trimming is used. The ideal welfare outcome is avoiding the need for trimming through environmental enrichment, correct nutrition, and appropriate lighting - approaches that address the root causes of feather pecking. Support for farms eliminating trimming entirely drives welfare improvement.