Beak blunting trial shows early promise

As part of the Government’s response to a future ban on beak trimming Defra are currently funding trial work to discover whether a ‘beak blunting’ process can offer an alternative.

The work is being carried out by ADAS at their poultry research station, Gleadthorpe and is the brainchild of seasoned poultry consultant Arnold Elson. The idea stems from claw shorteners—now a mandatory requirement in all cages—and the project is looking to see if the same natural wear can be achieved on the beak using a similar abrasive material. However, the aim in this case is not to shorten the beak—although some shortening effect is likely—but to take off the sharp point.

Previous research works indicates that there is very little beak growth between the age of 24 and 70 weeks but the ADAS study will look at both blunting in rear only and blunting in rear and subsequent lay. They may discover that blunting during the rearing cycle is sufficient to last the bird through its productive life.

The blunting process is currently being achieved in the trial by the birds feeding from troughs that have been coated in the abrasive material. The trial will also look at using feed chain covered in the same material.

ADAS stress that at this stage the project can only be described as a “pilot study”, although members of the Beak Trimming Action Group—set up by the Government to help the industry successfully adapt to the 2010 ban on beak trimming—have already viewed the 13 week old pullets involved and report encouraging results.

“Clearly there is still a long way to go before commercial application,” said BFREPA vice-chairman John Widdowson, who was one of several industry representatives invited to look at the project, “but the effect of the blunting on the beak was quite noticeable.”