Wing Pinioning- Graphic- for JJMR & ne1 else interested

[monarc23]

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IMO, You are correct- we pinion some of our birds, mainly ducks, geese & swans; We try to do ours within the first few days of hatching. Most times our babies hardly ever bleed, maybe a small drop or two. But we have done older birds like Monarc too.

Thanks for the photos- Monarc, we show people how to pinion, and I always forget to take pics when I do some.

Randy

my 2 week olds that bleed I'd say they only bleed a drop or two too just as long as they aren't stressing and pacing back and forth. I just have an issue pinnioning young coturnix (just hatched) because their wings are just little stubs and I just would see me cutting of fway too much or way too little and having to re do it

So when they are feathered up it's so much easier (and since quail are feathered up at 2 weeks it works out well)!

As for my call ducklings at a month their liil wings were still very tiny but still easy to tell where to trim and no harder than pinnioning a baby quail

 

[kingmt]

Thanks Monarc. To the duck owners: Can a duck 3 months old still be done?

 

[monarc23]

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I own ducks as well (its' in my main post talking about it).

I've pinioned 1 month and 1 year old ducks no issues...only issue with the older ducks was the bone was harder so you had to press harder.

 

[kingmt]

I was thinking of using dikes so the cutting shouldn't be a problem.

 

[monarc23]

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dikes are they like a type of shears? Never heard of them but as long as they are stronger than normal scissors then i'd say you're good to go!

 

[cawooduck]

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I wouldnt use dikes, you will shatter the bone rather than a clean cut through it, trust me, ive used dikes to cut the wings off of ducks i have killed while hunting, the bone actually split length wise and the dikes crushed more than it cut. I would use a sharp pair of game shears.

 

[kingmt]

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I wouldnt use dikes, you will shatter the bone rather than a clean cut through it, trust me, ive used dikes to cut the wings off of ducks i have killed while hunting, the bone actually split length wise and the dikes crushed more than it cut. I would use a sharp pair of game shears.

I don't have game shears or know what they are but I have a very nice set of dikes that I use in cleaning small game along with other things & they do cut very nice & are very sharp. I have not crush any bones so far. The only scissors I have that I think could do the job would take a lot of force to cut through bone & I think it would cause more pain.

 

[monarc23]

I personally wouldnt be too worried about crushing the bone either just for the mere fact that either way teh bone is severed, and since it's on a living bird the bone is stil living and will heal very fast...when my puppy broke her leg i was amazed how simple it was to take care of her and how fast it healed, took a total of 3 months before the vet felt comfortable with me taking her splint off, but she was healed at like 2 months and that was a bone mending back to itself which she walks on not a wing thats being pinioned. So I think that even if the bone was crushed, as long as no bone was sticking out pointy at the exposed area that all will be well in no time

Also healed a few coturnix's compound fracture broken leggies as well with wonderful results

 

[JJMR794]

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I wouldnt use dikes, you will shatter the bone rather than a clean cut through it, trust me, ive used dikes to cut the wings off of ducks i have killed while hunting, the bone actually split length wise and the dikes crushed more than it cut. I would use a sharp pair of game shears.

I don't have game shears or know what they are but I have a very nice set of dikes that I use in cleaning small game along with other things & they do cut very nice & are very sharp. I have not crush any bones so far. The only scissors I have that I think could do the job would take a lot of force to cut through bone & I think it would cause more pain.

GET A SET OF FISKER'S KITCHEN SCIZZORS-- THEY ARE TOUGH AND WICKED SHARP, THATS WHAT I USED--- THEY SNIP RIGHT THRU WITH EASE AND THAT HAS TO BE A LOT MORE HUMANE ON THE BIRD.

 

[JJMR794]

Just An Update! Out Of 50-something Babies Ranging From 2 To 4 Wks Old That Were Pinioned I Lost 1, And That Was Because The Brooder Bulb Burnt Out In The Middle Of The Night And They Huddled--- He Was The Smallest And Ended Up Getting Trampled. No 2ndary Infections So Far And Everyone Seems None The Worse For Wear!