My grandson is a great one for choosing really nitty-gritty informational shows, including those on how things are produced. Usually, I start out thinking it will be a HO-HUM show that I will listen to and glance at and, at times, find myself really enlightened.

This morning, though, introduced me to an episode that will stick in mind for a long time because it showed a video of fluffy little yellow chicks being picked up by their beaks and revolving around to reach the beak-clipping apparatus. It is necessary because the idea pecking order is not just a phrase; chickens who retain the hooked part of the beak will literally injure each other in a crowd. A chicken crowd is what you have in an egg production farm, whether it be cage-free or not.

Now, I know I have not adequately portrayed this image with words; it might be nigh on impossible, so I am going to search the Internet for a picture or video. If I find it, I will have to provide a warning first. The beak clipping is not painful, the industry claims, but it is something that you would not conjure up on your own – even in a nightmare.

I found an image: I suggest you do not try this ride at a street carnival. The video in the show I watched featured fatter little balls of chick fluff. It will be a long time before I can look at another Peep.