Toe punching

Those of you that hole punch the chicks how do you get that little flap of skin off? I have the little puncher, tried it on a couple chicks but it left a flap of skin, after one day the foot was healed and within a week I couldnt even tell which ones were punched.
I know Viczoe said you need to remove this, but how?

i just grab it with tweezers and pull. they do seem to grow back so i now just take the first half of the web off with surgical scissors.

Hidden, I remember reading somewhere that punching out the entire web will prevent regrowth most of the time, instead of doing just a single hole. Bear in mind I've never toe punched myself, although I plan too. Say, where did you get your punch from?

Good discussion because last spring for the first time I hole punched all my turkey poults and now not one of them shows any sign of a hole. I got my punch from Cutler's as part of a larger order.

When you order a toe punch get more then one. I had a couple from cutler and the one worked, but always left the flap, it would not perforate the perfect circle, so I had to use tweezers to pull it off. As long the flap is off, it will not grow back in. Then I used my other punch for a hatch and it worked much better, it must have a better cutting edge, because it takes out a whole circle each time.

Piet

Oh that's good advice - mine did leave the flap.

I got mine from Berry Hill, I did order 3 so will have to try one of the other ones and see if it works better.

I cut the entire web out with a small pair of scissors that way there is no chance of a grow-in esp. if you are bloodline breeding.

Heather

So you cut a wedge in the web? Or do you cut a circle inside and still leave a bit attatched to the toes?

Jayme I have a little pair of needlepoint scissors and I just spead the toe and cut the entire web out or at least a good notch. I do toe punch the waterfowl though but I always make sure that I get that little flap of skin out and make sure it is not on the bottom of the foot.

It is very hard to toe punch a bantam old english game as well as most bantam chicks which is why I prefer the scissor notch, I also do the same with the large fowl.

Heather

Heather what age do you cut the web?

All my chicks are marked coming out of the incubator as I can sometimes have 3 or 4 males of one color and breed working over different females so they must be be taken from the indivdual areas of the hatcher and marked before being put in the brooder. It does not bother them as the skin is very thin and they are running are right away. The nice thing is I never have to look or worry who is out of what and when I am culling I will look to see what the mark is, which is planted deep in my mind as I seldom have to refer to my book after the first time.
It is interesting to see at the end of the culling year to see which pens the better birds came from. I also have a week by week record of how many eggs are set from each pen breeding and how many fertile eggs and how many hatched from each mating which is added up on a week by week basis. This way I know immed. if a male is not ferile or there is a drop in fertility and will investigate right away. A bit anal I know but you do what works.

Heather

, do the web areas bleed when they are cut or hole punched? I would venture not, but hey, gotta know these things, smiling. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Normally they don't bleed and if they did it would only be a speck or 2.

Heather

viczoe wrote:Normally they don't bleed and if they did it would only be a speck or 2.

Heather

mine dont either. some times they pick at it a little and then it does but i just put the chick by itself for a day or two and it is fine again

I have never had them pick at it and never separated a chick either.

Heather