Does age of hot-blade trimming impact the performance and welfare of 2 strains of White Leghorn hens?

The impact of mild hot-blade beak trimming on welfare and performance in 2 strains of White Leghorn pullets was examined. During the pullet phase, 960 pullets were designated to one of 4 trimming treatments: control (untrimmed, C), trimmed at a commercial hatchery (T0d), or trimmed on farm at 10 d (T10d) or 35 d (T35d) of age. During the hen phase, 720 of the original 960 hens were housed in conventional cages at 17 wk of age (6 replications per...