Dentists for Chickens

I just got back from the dentist myself (why, oh why, are we still drilling and filling? In this modern age, why isn't there a pill or a laser beam or something?), anyway, I don't really want to talk about that, but I do thank See My Chickens for picking up this BBC story about Beryl and Ginger, a couple of hens saved from slaughter who needed their beaks repaired so they could eat properly. Hens lay more eggs during their first year, and after that, when they are less productive, a commercial egg producer will usually--well, you know. Let's not speak of that, either.

And although the article does not say this specifically, chickens in these commercial environments often undergo a beak trimming to keep them from pecking at one another. Of course, they would not peck if they were allowed to live a normal, happy, uncrowded, unstressful life, but that's rarely the case on an egg farm. So I'm assuming that the beak restoration was necessary because the beaks had been trimmed.

Kudos to the Jaybeth Animal Sanctuary in Suffolk for taking them in.

BBC NEWS UK England Suffolk Denture expert to fix hen beaks