How does the infrared beak treatment affect turkey welfare?

Beak treatment is a common management practice to control cannibalism and pecking behavior in commercial poultry. Usually, beak treatment is […]

Beak treatment is a common management practice to control cannibalism and pecking behavior in commercial poultry.

Usually, beak treatment is performed using a “hot blade,” which trimmed and cauterized the beak tissue. However, this method triggers acute pain and could result in chronic pain due to the age and the severity of the trim. Nowadays, the infrared beak treatment uses an “infrared light” to treat the beak tissue without creating an open wound. 

“The infrared light penetrates the outer layer of the beak, damaging the tissue layers underneath and inhibiting further growth of the beak tip. The loss of the beak tissue is gradual as the beak tip sloughs off for approximately 1 to 3 wk post-treatment. This allows birds to adapt to the change in beak shape and use their beaks normally during the critical first few days of life.”

Although infrared beak treatment has been reported to be a more welfare-friendly alternative to hot-blade trimming, societal concern still exists regarding any form of beak modification. Some of the major concerns are that the practice may cause: