Quote: as for the spiral colored bands, they come in 10 or 12 different colors (ebay & southern states) and i find i can usually band the chicks by 4-5 weeks old and that 5th toe is handy for keeping them from falling off (on most chicks). till then i use zip ties to identify hatch groups or varieties.
theoretically you could put as many as you wanted on each leg (up to the length of the leg LOL) but i tend to use them in 1 or 2 band groups. and if i cull, the bands come back off and go in the washer or dishwasher and used again later. my method is 2 bands on the left leg, top for hatch group bottom for individual bird ID... until i decide who i'm keeping they just have hatch group bands. i add the second color later once i've decided who stays/goes.
oh and i use size 11 or 12 i think, on the keyring style plastic bands... i don't bother switching as they grow. just zip ties big enough to allow growth but not fall off each time, until their feet are practically huge. LOL
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