Morphologically abnormal beaks observed in chickens that were beak-trimmed at young ages

Abstract

A survey of beak morphological abnormalities was performed on 6,201 chickens (egg-laying hens and chickens for meat production belonging to 25 flocks) brought to a poultry processing plant. The observed abnormalities varied among flocks with occurrence rates ranging from 0.48 to 46.67%. The occurrence was high in flocks subjected to beak trimming and varied significantly according to chicken breed, with the highest rates of abnormalities in a certain chicken breed. The most widely observed abnormalities were: 1) uneven growth of the upper and lower mandibles, mostly with elongation of the lower mandible (accounting for 64.8% of all abnormalities); 2) misalignment of the upper and lower mandibles, causing lateral deviation or crossing (16.3%); 3) sharp or jagged deformities of the mandible tips (10.1%); 4) permanent open beak, a deformity in which the beak did not close completely even when closed (5.8%); and 5) formation of tubercular swellings at the tips of the upper or lower mandibles (3.1%). This is the first report on the occurrence of beak abnormalities in beak-trimmed poultry in Japan.