Is it permissible to clip the beak of a duck or a chicken to prevent it from harming itself or others?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is not permissible to torment an animal without a legitimate purpose. The Lawgiver commanded kindness to animals and prohibited using any living creature as a target. If a means is found to prevent ducks and chickens from harming each other without torment, it is obligatory to adopt it, and beak trimming becomes impermissible. If no other means exists besides beak trimming, then it is permissible to trim their beaks if the harm resulting from not trimming them is greater than the harm of trimming them, based on the principle of committing the lesser of two harms.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/63907
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 63907
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy