Why Clipping chicks?

[farmerkylie]

I saw a video on YouTube of a guy clipping a chicks webbing between their feet and clipping skin on it's beak. Can someone tell me why this is done? It seems so cruel

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't know about the beak unless it is beak trimming to prevent cannibalism in crowded conditions.

The toe punching is to tell one bird from another when they all look the same otherwise.

 

[farmerkylie]

Can't you just mark them with zip ties on their legs. v

I don't know about the beak unless it is beak trimming to prevent cannibalism in crowded conditions.

The toe punching is to tell one bird from another when they all look the same otherwise.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Yes you can, which is what I do, but they need to be changed as they grow. Both zip ties and bandettes come off. Toe punching is permanent and doesn't hurt the chick. I just haven't done it yet.

 

[thehackleguy]

It is called toe marking/ toe punch. Kind of a misnomer, it is a mark in the webbing between the toes.

It is not cruel and it is necessary if you raise a lot of chicks and need to know what pen they came out of. It is a breeders tool, just like culling and there is nothing wrong with it. Marking of the nostril flap is just another way of marking the birds. I do this sometimes for young trouble makers so I can idetify repete offenders and move them to a new pen if I need to. I raise about 300 to 500 chicks a year, if I find one that missed getting a toe mark I cull them because I can't be sure what pen they came out of. I won't sell them because I can't tell someone what they are with 100% accuracy.

Now having said that, you may not like the process and that is a decision you have to make. I can't imagine changing out 100+ zip ties every week due to growth.

 

[donrae]

It is called toe marking/ toe punch. Kind of a misnomer, it is a mark in the webbing between the toes.

It is not cruel and it is necessary if you raise a lot of chicks and need to know what pen they came out of. It is a breeders tool, just like culling and there is nothing wrong with it. Marking of the nostril flap is just another way of marking the birds. I do this sometimes for young trouble makers so I can idetify repete offenders and move them to a new pen if I need to. I raise about 300 to 500 chicks a year, if I find one that missed getting a toe mark I cull them because I can't be sure what pen they came out of. I won't sell them because I can't tell someone what they are with 100% accuracy.

Now having said that, you may not like the process and that is a decision you have to make. I can't imagine changing out 100+ zip ties every week due to growth.