Well, here are the results! Most of the chicks had bands that were through the skin and not the bones. Only one actually went between the bones, poor thing. The cutters worked great. The bands were thin enough that one or two actually broke apart when I cut them. By cutting them near the wing they just slipped out easily. I put a drop of alcohol on the little cut after removing the band just in case the cut reopened. They didn't seem to be bothered by the alcohol. Chicks weren't happy to be restrained but none seemed to be overly distressed. After a couple of successes my biggest worry became not tearing through the sliver of skin that held the band. I don't think I'll buy "wing banded" chicks again. Don't need that frustration to deal with!