The Effect of Beak Length and Condition on Food Intake and Feeding Behaviour of Hens

Abstract

Hens (70 weeks of age) with short (10–11 mm), long (13–15 mm), and divided upper beaks (showing a 1–3 mm difference in length between the left and right sides of the upper beak) were selected from a flock of hens that had been beak-trimmed at hatching and re-trimmed at 14 weeks. These hens were switched from a mash diet to various whole grain diets at weekly intervals to determine the effects of beak length and condition on food intake, feeding behaviour, and the particle mix consumed from the diets. Birds switched from a mash diet to a mixture of whole grain diets showed a significant reduction in food intake of 22.6 g/day (P < 0.05), whereas birds changed from a maize and wheat diet to a sorghum and wheat diet showed a significant increase in food intake of 28.4 g/day (P < 0.05). Across all diets, birds with short upper beaks consumed 7.8 g/day less (P < 0.05) than birds with long upper beaks, while birds with divided beaks showed intermediate food intake. Feeding rate in divided beak birds (4.0 mg food/sec) was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than in short beak birds (5.3 mg food/sec), with long beak birds showing intermediate values (5.0 mg food/sec). Birds with short upper beaks also made significantly more pecks at the water nipple than divided beak birds. These findings demonstrate that beak condition in laying hens has important implications for egg production systems, and that hens with short upper beaks may experience reduced performance when fed free-choice or whole grain diets.