5 REASONS WHY YOUR POULTRY NEEDS BEAK TRIMMING
5 Reasons Why Your Poultry Needs Beak Trimming
Debeaking is a poultry term that refers to the practice of shortening the length of a bird’s beak,
especially raising chickens and turkeys for many reasons. It is also called beak cutting or break conditioning. In poultry, there is a term called pecking order which represents the basic principle of social order.
meeting in the flock of birds in which each bird pecks another bird down
a figure that doesn’t fear reprisals and submits to pecking from top-ranking birds. Debeaking is important, among other things, to reduce the influence of the leaders.
Birds debeaking cause a lot of controversy. Some people think it’s cruel or something like that pain level than cutting a nail. Debeaking is done mainly to day-old chicks when they are vaccinated and in birds raised for laying egg. Basically, this method involves removing part of the upper or lower part of the bird using an electric heated blade or an infrared laser.
There are three common methods for debeaking chicks:
1. Block debeaking in which one third of the upper and lower mandibles are remove in one operation.
2. Removal of two-thirds of the upper mandible only and
3. Removal of one third of the upper mandible and the tip of the lower mandible.
Reasons For debeaking in poultry
1. Debeaking in poultry helps reduce cannibalism
2. Small, pointless beaks make chickens look good
3. It is an economic advantage for the producer
4. Prevents feed waste
5. Reduces mortality in poultry farms.
Debeaking Machines, Types and How They Work
The process of reducing the number of birds is painful and must be done carefully and taking into account the physical stress that this practice will cause to the bird
There are two main machines used to keep the chicken.
They are; infrared and laser technology.
The Infrared Machine:
The infrared beak cutting technique uses a non-contact infrared energy source. Infrared works to treat the chicken beak tissue and the trimming process. This process is so unique that the beak remains intact for a while (perhaps several weeks) before the sharp hook of the beak wears off and falls off.
The Hot Blade:
This machine has an electric blade that cuts the top or bottom of the bird’s beak. Currently, this method is gradually being abandoned as infrared beak trimming is used.
Cutting chicken beaks with a hot blade
Some tips to keep in mind when debeaking poultry Birds :
The process of trimming chicken beaks works well with pressure. Not everyone can do the exercise of debeaking a chicken, even if it seems easy. Experienced and qualified people should be appointed as debeak. It is important to keep the following tips in mind before, during or after the application process:
- Debeaking is a very stressful process for the bird, so it is important to reduce the bird collection process to a minimum level. Running and chasing birds can increase their stress levels.
- Be careful around the birds and make sure the poultry house is quiet.
- Make sure the debeaking machine is working properly.
- The machine should be hot enough for the fast process. This will help reduce the pain the bird will experience.
- Provide multivitamins rich in vitamin K to birds. Vitamin K is a vitamin supplement that helps blood clotting. This will help the birds heal faster if they are injured during the debeaking process. A multivitamin can be given two days before the procedure and after the procedure.
- Be sure to pull the bird tongue backward while holding their throat to prevent damage. Cutting the tongue is like killing a bird.
- Do not remove the beak too far or too close to the nostrils. Cutting it too close can damage the bird’s organ
- In the free range system, there is no need to trim the bird’s beak because there is enough space for the birds to move around and avoid each other.
The negative impact of a poor debeaking process
A proper debeaking system is as important as debeaking the bird’s. There are negative of poorly done poultry trimming and they include:
1. A bird’s beak has blood vessels and nerve endings. Cutting the chicken’s neck carelessly can cause bleeding and pain in the bird.
2. Trimming a bird’s beak too short can damage the function of the bird’s beak.
3. This is a stressful process and when the bird accumulates physiological stress, the cessation of production can begin.
