The Effect of Toe-Clipping Turkey Poults on Market Grade, Final Weight and Percent Condemnation

Abstract

A higher percentage of turkeys graded A when they were toe-clipped. In a controlled experiment, toe-clipped turkey toms had 2.1% more grade A than turkeys with normal toes. Records from three processing plants for 1969 and 1970 showed toe-clipped turkey toms varied from 1.2–5% more in percentage grade A than toms that were not toe-clipped. The toe-clipped hens varied from 0–3.2% in improvement in percentage grade A over hens with normal toes.An increase in mortality was observed in the controlled experiment during the first week in those turkeys that had been toe-clipped. These birds were started on wire floors partly covered with paper.There was little influence of toe-clipping on the final body weight of either the hens or the toms in the controlled experiment or in the commercial data from processing plants. One plant did show a significant reduction in body weight of toe-clipped toms compared with normal-toed toms received in the plant for both the 1969 and 1970 processing years.Toe-clipping did not influence the percentage of turkey carcasses condemned in any of the categories studied.