# Why do they debeak chickens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2003, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619 "2003-12-23T07:49:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monkey0ne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@monkey0ne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkey0ne)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/1 "2003-12-23T07:49:35Z")
My friend asked me this question and now it’s tearing at me also. Anyone know? Thanks, Kevin ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/2 "2003-12-23T07:55:34Z")
To keep them from injuring themselves or each other. Chickens have been known to mutilate themselves, or to peck each other to death, when overcrowded. ---
**Author:** ![phraser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e4f/32.png) [@phraser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phraser)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/3 "2003-12-23T08:56:16Z")
When they say debeak, they don’t actually chop the whole beak off. Usually just the tip is removed. It depends on what kind of rearing system they’re in. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/4 "2003-12-23T12:18:08Z")
Birds are nasty, territorial creatures. If you don’t remove their main means of injuring each other, you can’t pack them in as closely. ---
**Author:** ![zabrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/dbc845/32.png) [@zabrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zabrain)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/5 "2003-12-23T14:09:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*Birds are nasty, territorial creatures. If you don’t remove their main means of injuring each other, you can’t pack them in as closely. \*\* While it is correct that more debeaked birds can be shoehorned into a tighter space, the predominant reason is so that birds of differing ages can be introduced into the same space. And although I’ve never proven this scientifically, I’ve seen birds in my own flock and others pecking at an injured or sick bird. I take it as they “know” the bird is sick and are removing the bird from the gene pool. But, I do not mutilate my chickens in any form; No wing clipping, no debeaking, no comb or wattle cutting and all my cocks have their spurs. [catchy tune] “They got spurs that jingle jangle jingle”[/catchy tune] ---
**Author:** ![GopherGod72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f0a364/32.png) [@GopherGod72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GopherGod72)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/6 "2003-12-23T22:26:33Z")
Question… why would you remove the comb or wattle? ---
**Author:** ![AtomicBanana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@AtomicBanana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicBanana)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/7 "2003-12-23T23:49:00Z")
Does it hurt roosters to have their spurs removed? Is it like dog claws where there’s a blood vessel and nerves a bit inside, or is it all solid? ---
**Author:** ![zabrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/dbc845/32.png) [@zabrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zabrain)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/8 "2003-12-24T01:42:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GopherGod72 \* > \*\*Question… why would you remove the comb or wattle? \*\* This is usually performed only on fighting roosters like Old English Game cocks. In the old days, when birds were actually pitted against each other, removing the combs and wattles (dubbing) gave the other bird less area around the head to attack. When these areas are injured they bleed like crazy so oldtime cockfighters removed them while the birds were young instead of having the bird bleed to death later in the pit. Now the look has carried over to breeders and showers so they dub the cocks to make them look “authentic”. This is similiar to docking ears and tails on Doberman Pinschers. ---
**Author:** ![zabrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/dbc845/32.png) [@zabrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zabrain)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-debeak-chickens/220619/9 "2003-12-24T02:01:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AtomicBanana \* > \*\*Does it hurt roosters to have their spurs removed? Is it like dog claws where there’s a blood vessel and nerves a bit inside, or is it all solid? \*\* Rooster spurs are very similiar to dog claws and even our own nails and can be clipped the same. If you clip to short the spur can bleed and needs to be treated. But I don’t like clipping so here’s what I used to do; bake a potato, cut it in half and press it on the spur. After about 15 minutes (do all of this while the bird is roosting) you can remove the potato and the majority of the spur. My birds rarely flinched and enjoyed the potatos the next morning so I guess it was relatively painless.