I use a toenail clippers mostly as it seems to make a cleaner cut than using a pair of scissors. I use the toenail clippers for removing the back toe & pinioning for most of our birds that need it. I use a pair of scissors for larger birds like swans or crane, but I keep that pair of scissors seperate from using for other things so they remain sharp and clean.
For toe clipping to permanently mark a bird, you are removing the back toe from the foot; not just clipping the toenail. About like having the declaws removed on a dog.
For Pinioning- you are removing the last portion of ONE wing so that the bird does not grow primary flight feathers on that side. THIS IS NOT WING CLIPPING(that is clipping the feathers about like getting a hair cut)! I usually describe this to people on how to pinion a baby duck-goose-swan like this: Hold the ELBOW of the wing between your index finger and thumb. Take the toenail clippers and clip off the outer part of wing- NEXT to your fingers which are coving the elbow joint. ***You WANT to cut next to the joint but not on it! If you cut the wing farther out towards the tip of the wing, say half way between the elbow joint and the tip, the bird will grow enough flight feathers and likely be able to fly when it grows up. So stay next to your fingers when cutting.
When toe clipping, toe punching or pinioning- if the birds are dayold they usually do not bleed more than a drop. If they are a few days old they will bleed a little- but I have never had it become a problem. The older the bird gets the more it will bleed, so at dayold is best if possible. But we occasionally have a goose or duck that will get the babies on the lake before we can clip them and then they may be several days/ couple weeks old before I have time to round them up. When I do these older birds I take some corn starch with me, after removing the toe or wing tip I take a pinch of corn starch and hold on the clipped area for several seconds. This will help to clot any bleeding.
Toe Punching is done with a toe punch, a little clippers, sort of like a fingernail clippers that will make a hole in the web of a foot. We use this is permanently mark some birds of specific bloodlines so they will always carry that ID. This way if they lose a leg we can always go back to the toe punch markings. We only use toe punching on upland birds (pheasants, partridge, etc) we have not used it on waterfowl.
Randy www.spectrumranch.net
For toe clipping to permanently mark a bird, you are removing the back toe from the foot; not just clipping the toenail. About like having the declaws removed on a dog.
For Pinioning- you are removing the last portion of ONE wing so that the bird does not grow primary flight feathers on that side. THIS IS NOT WING CLIPPING(that is clipping the feathers about like getting a hair cut)! I usually describe this to people on how to pinion a baby duck-goose-swan like this: Hold the ELBOW of the wing between your index finger and thumb. Take the toenail clippers and clip off the outer part of wing- NEXT to your fingers which are coving the elbow joint. ***You WANT to cut next to the joint but not on it! If you cut the wing farther out towards the tip of the wing, say half way between the elbow joint and the tip, the bird will grow enough flight feathers and likely be able to fly when it grows up. So stay next to your fingers when cutting.
When toe clipping, toe punching or pinioning- if the birds are dayold they usually do not bleed more than a drop. If they are a few days old they will bleed a little- but I have never had it become a problem. The older the bird gets the more it will bleed, so at dayold is best if possible. But we occasionally have a goose or duck that will get the babies on the lake before we can clip them and then they may be several days/ couple weeks old before I have time to round them up. When I do these older birds I take some corn starch with me, after removing the toe or wing tip I take a pinch of corn starch and hold on the clipped area for several seconds. This will help to clot any bleeding.
Toe Punching is done with a toe punch, a little clippers, sort of like a fingernail clippers that will make a hole in the web of a foot. We use this is permanently mark some birds of specific bloodlines so they will always carry that ID. This way if they lose a leg we can always go back to the toe punch markings. We only use toe punching on upland birds (pheasants, partridge, etc) we have not used it on waterfowl.
Randy www.spectrumranch.net
