Natural beaks
Why We Don't Trim Our Hens' Beaks
Our hens keep the beaks they were born with. Out on 20 acres of pasture, they use them all day long, pulling grass, catching bugs, picking seeds and keeping their feathers tidy.
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Why we leave our hens' beaks alone
Some egg farms remove the tip of a young hen's beak. We don't. A hen's beak is how she does nearly everything she was made to do.
Research backs that up. A 2019 article in the journal Animals notes that hens with trimmed beaks do less ground pecking and less preening.
A hen's toolkit
What a whole beak is for
Pulling grass
Fresh greens straight from the pasture.
Seeds and bugs
Quick, careful pecks for seeds and the bugs hiding in the grass.
Preening feathers
Keeping their feathers clean and in place.
How we do it
Why our hens can keep their beaks
Questions
Things people ask about natural beaks
What is beak trimming?
It's when a farm removes the tip of a young hen's beak. We don't do it. Our hens keep the beaks they were born with.
Why do some farms trim beaks?
To keep hens from pecking and hurting each other. The American Veterinary Medical Association says it should only be done when it's needed, and encourages better alternatives.
What do your hens do with their beaks all day?
Pull grass, pick seeds and bugs, and preen their feathers, out on 20 acres of pasture with a coop that moves to fresh ground every day.
Does it change the eggs?
The eggs look and cook the same. What's different is how the hens live.
Is not trimming beaks part of Beyond Organic?
Beyond Organic is about how we farm: no pesticides of any kind, synthetic or organic, anywhere on our farm. Leaving beaks natural is one more way we let our hens be hens. What Beyond Organic means
Where can I get eggs from hens with natural beaks near Jacksonville?
Right here. Pick up at our farm in Hilliard, or I'll meet you at the Hilliard or Callahan post office. $9 a dozen, cash only please.
Eggs from hens that keep their beaks
Beyond Organic, pasture-raised eggs from our own hens, $9 a dozen. Pick up in Hilliard or Callahan, just north of Jacksonville.
Put together by Mike Murray at Noah's Dove Farm in Hilliard, FL. Sources checked November 2026: