Add_Informatie legbroederijen (BO-43-111-056)

As of January 1, 2019, there is a ban on beak trimming of regular broiler chickens. Females and males of slower growing chicks have been granted a five-year reprieve from the beak treatment ban. Whether or not beak trimming is also an important issue within the layer stock sector. These birds are genetically very different animals, not only because of their lower animal weight, but also because they are descended from different breeds with possibly different behavior. However, there are also similarities. It is believed that laying parent stock is more genetically similar to parent stock of slower growing breeds than to parent stock of fast growing breed. In recent years, the laying hatcheries have conducted practical research into the (im)possibilities of keeping laying hens with untreated beaks. This is facilitated by applying a wide range of (management) measures, such as lighting (intensity, colour, species, etc.), stocking density, adapted feeds, climate, drinking water additives, etc. This knowledge is fragmented across the various laying hatcheries. There is no overview, so it is not clear whether it is possible to omit beak treatments in layer breeders. Bundling this information can provide insight into this and may also be useful in parent stock of slower growing broilers. The aim of this project is to collect and analyze experiences and data from laying hatcheries in the field of not treating beaks in laying parent stock and to combine this knowledge to map the situation in untreated laying parent stock on the one hand and to possibly apply the knowledge in the parent stock sector for slower growing broilers.