Beak trimming is used in the egg industry to prevent mortality from cannibalism and minimise injurious pecking, vent pecking, aggressive pecking at the head and all forms of feather pecking, although the practice does not completely reduce the damage. There are alternatives to beak trimming, but they have not been reliable in preventing injurious pecking. However, beak trimming should not be used without providing birds enriched indoor and outdoor environments. Even when birds are beak trimmed, providing enriched facilities is recommended. The two main methods of beak trimming are hot blade (HB) and infrared beak treatment (IRBT). HB trimming removes the beak tips and cauterises the beak stump. The IRBT method uses heat from an infrared lamp to treat the outer beak and the underlying tissue. Initially, the tips of the beak remain intact and then soften and wear as the bird uses its beak. In contrast, the HB method results in an open wound that takes 3 weeks to heal. Two major welfare issues arise from beak trimming. The first is loss of sensory input because of removal of or heat treatment of sensory receptors in the beak. The second issue is the potential for acute and chronic pain from severing or heat treatment of nerves. HB trimming initially results in acute pain but there is limited evidence for beak sensitivity in IRBT birds. The development of neuromas in the beak have been implicated as a cause of chronic pain after HB trimming. When birds are HB trimmed (one-half of upper beak; one-third of lower) in the first 10 days of life, neuromas will develop, but they will resolve, compared with birds trimmed at older ages. However, neuromas will not resolve in 10-day old birds if more than one-half of the beak is HB trimmed. While HB trimming is performed according to accreditation standards by removal of one-half the upper beak and one-third of the lower beak is considered excessive, it prevents beak regrowth and the need to subject birds to re-trimming and a second bout of acute pain from the beak wound. Current levels of IRBT to treat half of the beak using the vendors quality-assurance protocol have been implemented worldwide to ensure that neuroma formation is prevented; however, if severe levels of IRBT are used, acute pain and subsequent neuromas may persist. The main impact of beak trimming is how the bird uses its beak when it eats, drinks and pecks at other birds and the environment. Reduced feed intake after HB trimming indicates pain associated with pecking or difficulty in eating. HB-trimmed birds initially show an increase in listlessness and guarding behaviours and increased inactivity, which indicates pain. IRBT and HB-trimmed birds have fewer aggressive pecks at the head, and there is a reduction in severe feather pecking and better feather scores, which results in a large reduction in mortality. Depending on the severity of IRBT and HB trimming, the advantage of using IRBT is improved welfare.

中文翻译：

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蛋鸡断喙的当前方法和技术、福利问题和替代方法

断喙在鸡蛋工业中被用来防止因同类相食而导致的死亡，并尽量减少伤害性啄食、啄啄、头部攻击性啄食和所有形式的啄羽，尽管这种做法并不能完全减少伤害。有断喙的替代方法，但它们在防止伤害性啄食方面并不可靠。然而，在没有为鸟类提供丰富的室内和室外环境的情况下，不应使用断喙。即使鸟类被修剪喙，也建议提供丰富的设施。断喙的两种主要方法是热刀片 (HB) 和红外断喙 (IRBT)。HB 修剪去除喙尖并烧灼喙残端。IRBT 方法使用来自红外线灯的热量来治疗外喙和下面的组织。原来，喙的尖端保持完整，然后随着鸟使用它的喙而变软和磨损。相比之下，HB 方法导致开放性伤口需要 3 周才能愈合。断喙会引起两个主要的福利问题。第一个是由于喙中感觉受体的去除或热处理而导致感觉输入的丧失。第二个问题是切断或热处理神经可能导致急性和慢性疼痛。HB 修剪最初会导致急性疼痛，但关于 IRBT 鸟类喙敏感性​​的证据有限。喙部神经瘤的发展被认为是 HB 修剪后慢性疼痛的原因。当家禽在出生后的前 10 天进行 HB 修剪（上喙的一半；下喙的三分之一）时，神经瘤会发展，但与年龄较大时修剪的鸟类相比，它们会消退。然而，如果超过一半的喙被 HB 修剪，神经瘤不会在 10 日龄鸡中消退。虽然 HB 修剪是根据认证标准进行的，去除上喙的一半和下喙的三分之一被认为是过度的，但它可以防止喙再生以及需要对鸟类进行重新修剪和第二次急性发作。喙部伤口疼痛。目前使用供应商质量保证协议治疗一半喙的 IRBT 水平已在全球范围内实施，以确保防止神经瘤形成；然而，如果使用严重水平的 IRBT，急性疼痛和随后的神经瘤可能会持续存在。喙修剪的主要影响是鸟在吃、喝和啄其他鸟类和环境时如何使用它的喙。HB 修剪后饲料摄入量减少表明与啄食或进食困难相关的疼痛。HB 修剪的鸟类最初表现出无精打采和守卫行为的增加以及不活动的增加，这表明疼痛。IRBT 和 HB 修剪的鸟类在头部的攻击性啄食较少，严重啄羽减少，羽毛评分更好，从而大大降低了死亡率。根据 IRBT 和 HB 修剪的严重程度，使用 IRBT 的优势是提高福利。这导致死亡率大大降低。根据 IRBT 和 HB 修剪的严重程度，使用 IRBT 的优势是提高福利。这导致死亡率大大降低。根据 IRBT 和 HB 修剪的严重程度，使用 IRBT 的优势是提高福利。