90 TURKEY CULTURE. 



brands may be made by clipping the different toes. The 

 illustration on Page 88 shows some of them. 



Six different marks may be made by clipping only one 

 front toe. Nine more by clipping bu,t two front toes. By 

 clipping either the right or left back toe, the number may 

 be doubled or trebled. By clipping more toes, combina- 

 tions almost without number may be made, but it will be 

 rarely necessary to remove more than one to two nails, 

 even in a turkey-growing section. 



Should mature turkeys thus marked be stolen and 

 dressed, they may be identified, as the marks cannot be 

 changed without showing the fresh mutilation. The marks 

 of little turkeys may be changed without detection, pro- 

 vided sufficient time passes to allow them to heal before 

 they are examined. The more toes you clip, the more dif- 

 ficult it is to change your marks. 



Other marks, in addition to the foot marks, are some- 

 times necessary. The beak may be filed, holes punched in 

 the skin or web of the wing, or a loop of colored silk fas- 

 tened in the flesh where it can not be seen. Although 

 you may feel that such a precaution is not necessary in 

 your case, probably if you follow this practice, you will at 

 some time be very glad that you have done so. 



