More Turkey Questions Babies arriving today!!!!

[chickenannie]

Quote:
If you have to keep their wings clipped in order to remain in your property, then i would just pinion them, this is a permanent way of clipping their wings. You do it once when they are days old and never again. I do this to alot of customer's poults that live in the city and can not have them flying over the fences. It will make them be able to only fly like a chicken, not much at all.

Once you get use to it it is a one person job to clip the wings. I hold them by their feet upside down and then pull their wings out and they usually stay out and then I clip them and then go to the next. Once you got them upside down they go docile like a cat that you have by the back of the neck.

It was hard enough for me (mentally) to clip their wings... felt like I was damaging them... I don't think I could ever cut them off permanently.

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
If you have to keep their wings clipped in order to remain in your property, then i would just pinion them, this is a permanent way of clipping their wings. You do it once when they are days old and never again. I do this to alot of customer's poults that live in the city and can not have them flying over the fences. It will make them be able to only fly like a chicken, not much at all.

Once you get use to it it is a one person job to clip the wings. I hold them by their feet upside down and then pull their wings out and they usually stay out and then I clip them and then go to the next. Once you got them upside down they go docile like a cat that you have by the back of the neck.

It was hard enough for me (mentally) to clip their wings... felt like I was damaging them... I don't think I could ever cut them off permanently.

I agree 100% Annie, pinioning is a form of multilation in my opinion. You are taking away a birds only defense... forever. Wing clipping is quick, easy and painless. Once the birds get some weight on them they are much less likely to fence jump anyway, we have some hardheaded yearling hens now that we had to clip a few times but now they stay put. There was a thread about pinioning on another group that turned into a major fight between the for and against. I liked one persons answer about the whole thing. It was something like this. since people use your toes for balance we could just cut them off - it won't hurt....for long and you will get used to it.... after awhile.

Steve in NC

 

[chickensioux]

I could never do more than clip the feathers. I can't even clip Victors because I love it when he struts and drags his on the ground. I will resort to clipping if I have to if she turns out to be a little escape artist. I'm hoping she'll love her home and Victor enough to stay put.

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

This is all I have to say on the pinioning. Not looking to start an argument but pass on facts.

What is more cruel....

The bird(s) that are grown in town where if they get over the fence they are dead by a dog, car or etc.

Pinioning is very quick,no blood. As far as painless ?? They show no signs of pain. It is very important to do it when they are only a day to three days old as the wing tip has no bones yet it is all cartilage.

As far as mutilation to the average person you can not tell they are even pinioned. It is only the very tip of the wing that grows the flight feathers. They still can fly but more like a chicken.

It is not needed for every bird, but for the people that live in cities or towns and they want to grow them a nice bird for pet or table they should be able to do so, with out the risk of losing them if they go over the fences. I always advise not to do it if they are not in this situation, yes if they are out free ranging on property, then they need to be able to fly up.



Plus I have seen quite a few birds that bled to death from somebody clipping their wings, wrong. Once you hit the blood filled feathers they can and will bleed out

 

[chickenannie]

Wow, people keep turkeys in towns and cities? I had no idea. Mine roam all over my 50-acre farm -- I can't imagine keeping a heritage turkey in a small space. If I had a small space, I'd choose a smaller bird like a chicken that didn't roam or you're just fighting nature all the time.