A couple of things I think might be worth sharing...Got Pics!

I have a couple of tricks that seem to be working pretty well. I thought I'd share them.

1) I have a trick for getting the chickens to file thier own toenails.
They love to sit on our laps, but their toenails have us all scratched up, so I put thier food and water up on those flat cement pavers. I put four of the 12x12" together and put the feeder in the middle. I did the same for the water. They have to walk around on the cement to eat and drink (It's inside the coop so it doesn't get hot), and they file thier own nails in the process. It is so much more comfortable to hold them now!

2) Cheep legbands.(I posted this on someone elses thread but thought I'd put it here too)
I looked at the leg bands on line and noticed that they have velcro ones. So, being the thrifty (ok. cheep) person that I am, I went to Walmart and in the fabric section, I found something called "Velcro Fashion Trim'. For less then $4 I got a box with 4 colors, 1" wide and 3' long. I cut a strip about 5" long and then cut it down the center to make it only 1/2" wide. I wrapped it around the leg of a chicken and "tada!" I can tell my favorite BR now from her 11 sisters! I put some of the different colors on different birds, and they have been on overnight so far. I tried shorter pieces first, but they could pull them off and play with them. The 5" piece seems to work the best because there is enough grip to keep them from being able to pull them off, and being velcro, I can adjust it as they grow.

Just thought I'd share in case it could help someone else with this ID thing.

The toenail trick works for dogs, too. When I first married my DH he paid high grooming bills for his dog. My girls started taking her on 2 long walks every day through the neighborhood. It eventually began to wear down her nails. She needed nail trimming in much longer intervals.

Another thing for leg bands that seem to work just fine are those small colored rubber bands - like used by a child with braces. Lots of colors. Stays on well. Not too tight. Not too loose.

LOVE the velcro idea!

It does work for dogs. When i lived in the city, I used to take my dogs out to a big empty parking lot and throw the ball for them a while. No toenails when we were done. I first used a cement brick in the rat cage. She loved crawing thru it and climbing on it. It kept her nails so smooth we could stand to hold her again

don't the chickens peck at the bands? I have resisted putting anything on them for fear of starting a whole pecking issue.

They did peck at them at first, but they got used to them in a few minutes. They are still on this morning (two days now) and no pecking.

I love the Velcro idea !

I use colored cable ties for leg bands. They come in all colors and you can adjust them for the size of the chicken. Just remember to cut the tie close to the "knot" so a chicken doesn't grab an end and pull it tighter.

Carla,
What do you mean by "cable tie"?

Mulemom,
Can you post a picture of the velcro on a chicken?

Thanks to all!

cable tie= zip tie

Zen-

Cable ties are found in the electrical section of Home Depot and Loews. They are thin, ribbed plastic strips with a "knob" on one end that you can feed the strip back through. When you pull it through it locks in place. It can get tighter, but not looser unless you cut it off. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. It is one of the handiest household and garden accessories ever! I use them for everything from lightly clamping things together to kitty toys to color coding sets of spare keys. It's like Duct tape! The uses are endless! (Although I've never thought of using them as chicken leg bands!)
CG