Education

Project: The welfare implications of bill trimming Muscovy and Pekin ducks.

Experiment 1: Trimming Muscovy ducks with scissors vs. controls at three weeks of age (standard trimming method used in California)

Experiment 2: Comparing the effects of different trimming methods used in Pekin duck production (tip searing & hot cutting with cautery vs. controls) at hatch (Results still in progress)

Beak trimming is performed on poultry to prevent feather pecking and cannibalism. There is very little information known about the physiological or behavioral ramifications of bill trimming ducks. In chickens, trimming has been shown to cause acute pain. Evidence for acute pain can be seen in the behavior changes of trimmed birds. When compared to untrimmed hens, trimmed birds showed significant decreases in bill-related behaviors, such as drinking, preening, and feeding in the 2-3 weeks post-trim. Trimmed birds also spent significantly more time performing passive behaviors such as resting and standing.

Age at trim and trimming method are important factors in the amount of physiological damage observed in beak-trimmed chickens. Chickens trimmed at hatch show little or none of the physiological damage observed in chicks trimmed even at 10 days post hatch. The earlier the trimming is conducted, the less likely it is that there will be any long-term physiological effects. There was a higher incidence of neuroma formation when older hens were trimmed using hot-blade cautery as opposed to scissors. Neuromas, a type of knotted nerve bundle have been identified as the source of aberrant, neuronal firing leading to conditions like chronic, phantom limb pain occurring in human amputees.

Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of a standard bill-trimming method used for Muscovy ducks, on behavioral indicators of pain, as evidenced by the performance of bill-related behaviors compared to untrimmed ducks, And also to assess any morpho-pathological bill changes, including scarring and neuroma formation in the trimmed bills.