1. properly debeaked 16-month-old 2. Six months after debeaking 3. Twelve months after debeaking. pullet
L-631 Debeaking Laying Stock To Control Cannibalism w. o. Cawley, B. C. Wormeli, W. F. Krueger and }. H. Quisenberry*'
Why Debeak During brooding: The most popular age for Poultry flocks often are plagued with a vicious early debeaking of laying stock are 1 day and 7 habit - cannibali m. When this occurs, the birds to 14 days of age. may literally pick each other to pieces. Some poultrymen feel it i be t to debeak at The e act cau es of these cannibalistic tend 1 day of age because chicks can be handled ea ier encie in chicken are unknown. Some factors at this age. They also find it more con enient which may contribute to outbreaks are: to let the hatchery do thi operation for them. 1. 0 ercrowding Others feel that there i less tre if debeak 2. Lack of adequate feeder, water or nest space ing is delayed until the birds are 7 to 14 day old. These poultrymen feel that they do a better 3. Po r entilation debeaking job and that it i effective longer. t 4. Dietary deficiencies these ages apply a special attachment to regular 5. Failure to remove injured or crippled birds debeakers to prevent remo al of too mu h beak. from flo k If the bird are debeaked correctly during 6. light prolap e or extension of oviduct the brooding period, their beak will grow out fter egg i laid. Thi i a real problem in young during the rearing period. Therefore, pullet flock where birds are just coming into pro need to be debeaked again before going into duction. Often "pickouts" are classified mis the laying house. tak nly a "blowout" or malfunctions of the o iduct. If flock mortality exceeds .5 percent During rearing: The best time to debeak p r month due to oviduct prolapse, the real prob older pullets is from 12 to 22 week. Delay thi 1 m is probably cannibalism. operation as long as possible, but perform it be Removing the end of the beak is the most fore the birds conle into production. There are effe tive, economical way of preventing or stop two reasons for this. First, you can do a better ping cannibali m. job on older pullet. Second, a good debeaking job probably will carry the bird through the Debeaking will not eliminate deficiencies in laying year. management or top the picking, but it will stop 10 e and damage caused by the picking. How to Debeak When to Debeak During brooding: Poultrymen may u e an t the fir t ign of cannibalism or intensive electric shear-type debeaker on 1 day old chick feather pulling, immediately debeak the birds which removes the beak with a quick troke of r gardless of age. its sharp blade, but does not cauterize the end of the beak. When debeaking older birds, u e *Re pecti eI, a ociate Extension poultry husbandman, E ten ion pouItr, husbandman, professor, and head, De- a different type of debeaker that cauterize the partment of PouItr cience, Texas A&M University. cut to prevent excessive bleeding and death. Three common methods of early again t the blade t round the debeaking are: (1) block debeak edges and to further caut rize it.) ing in which one-third of both Step 7. Ch k both ut care the upper and lower beak is re fully. If either the upper or lower moved in one operation, (2) re beak is not cut prop rly, touch moval of two-thirds of the upper it up immediately. beak only, (3) removal of one-third Points to remember: of the upper beak and the tip 1. Start with a n w debeaker of the lower beak. blade and change it fairly often. 4 During rearing: Do not try to e onomize on blad . Step 1. Have a crew of two 2. ever u e a warped r bent or more men to do the job. blade. 5 Step. 2. Heat the debeaker 3. Make ure th d baking blade to a cherry red color by blade and cutting bar ar in per placing the thermostat on reserve fect alignment and that the blade heat. falls on the high t part of the bar. Step. 3. Hand two birds to 4. Incompl te beak ranee the debeaker operator feet first. may result in eriou Iy torn ti ue Step 4. The operator inserts in the roof of the mouth. ince his index finger into the bird's thi tis ue annat b aut riz d, mouth one at a time to force exces ive bleeding rna r ult. the beak open and hold tongue 5. Hold th bird' ton ue down and back. Have a container away from the hot blad. Burn d of mild disinfectant handy in tongues cau e cull hi k n . 6. Do not work with a blade "\tv hich to dip this index finger between birds to prevent spread that is too hot, for thi cau e ing disease. blisters in the roof of th bird' nl0uth. U e medium heat for Step. 5. Place top beak on young birds; re erv h at for cutting bar and cut it 1/8 to 3/16 older bird. inch in front of nostril. Lower 7. Do not pull th beak away bird's head to get a 20 degree to from the blade until it i com 30 degree lant back toward roof pletely severed. Thi an cau e of the mouth. Cut slowly so blade tearing of the ti ue whi h may ,vill burn its way through beak re ult in exce ive bleeding. and cauterize the tissue as it goes. 8. Sear the beak well to pre Step 6. Place lower beak on vent bleeding. fter a h cut, bar and cut so that it will be 1/8 hold the beak again t the blade, to 3/16 inch longer than upper rolling it momentarily until cau beak. Cut lower beak in straight terization i completed. block form. (Roll each beak 9. Compound can b placed in the drinking water a day of two 4. An electric shear-type debeaker before debeaking to reduce bleed which removes beak with a quick ing and to peed up healing. 0 t sharp stroke, but does not cauterize of these compound contain a vita beak end. min K derivative. 6 5. Apply a special attachment to regular debeakers for chicks 1-14 days 10. The few mi d bird or old to avoid removing too much beak. ones carele ly debeaked cau e 7 6. For older birds, place beak on trouble later on. cutting bar and slice 1/8 to 3/16 in 11. Failure to remo nough front of nostril. of the bird' beak i a common 7. Cut lower beak so that it will be mistake made by poultrymen when 1/8 to 3/16 inch longer than upper beak. debeaking. Cooperative Extension Work in AgricUlture and Home Economics, Texas A&M University and the United States Department of AgricUlture cooperating. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, and June 30, 1914. 5M-6-64