Banding chickens

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

Good evening. I am trying to figure out what is the best leg band to put on chickens. I am trying to band the chickens, because we have production blue hens and barred rocks and I need to need to tell who is who. I have tried one kind of band which had different colors, but when I put them on, the other chickens started biting the chicken with the band on it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have tried one kind of band which had different colors, but when I put them on, the other chickens started biting the chicken with the band on it.

I have never experienced that. Are you sure the biting was because of the band? Could you please describe what that biting looked like, when it occurred.

I am trying to band the chickens, because we have production blue hens and barred rocks and I need to need to tell who is who.

I tried using the hard plastic bands but did not like them. They are a little challenging to put on and take off but I could mange even with my arthritic hands. My problem was that the chickens legs continue to grow so the band would get too tight and have to be removed. You have to have the right size for the individual chicken so I had different bags of different colors and different bags of the same color but different sizes.

I use colored zip ties (cable ties). You still have to regularly check them to make sure they are not getting too tight and replace them when they do but its basically a one-size-fits-all.

You might investigate the toe-punch method. That's where you punch a hole in the membrane between the toes. If you do an internet search you can see how to do it and charts of how to keep the records.

You might look up wing bands for poultry. These permanently clip on one wing. Another internet search.

I've read about people putting different colored fingernail polish on their claws but I'd be concerned about how fast that would wear off.
You might use food coloring to mark certain feathers or spots. Some hatcheries use food coloring to mark certain chicks for identification. You'd have to renew that when they molt.

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

I have never experienced that. Are you sure the biting was because of the band? Could you please describe what that biting looked like, when it occurred.

They were just packing at the bands.

 

[Pigeony]

I second that zip ties are a good method. You can get lots of different colors and they can fit hatchlings all the way to hens. But, if you have a lot of chickens, make sure no one is getting missed during band checks. A growing bird can quickly have a band cut into their leg if they're not being checked and re-banded when the ziptie becomes too snug.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

They were just packing at the bands.

Were they also hitting (pecking at) skin?

Chickens have some similarities with human babies and toddlers: when they see something new and unfamiliar, they try to taste it. All three of my older girls still peck at my wedding ring if I wear it into chicken territory. These aren’t mean pecks, just curious/ exploratory.

 

[casportpony]

Good evening. I am trying to figure out what is the best leg band to put on chickens. I am trying to band the chickens, because we have production blue hens and barred rocks and I need to need to tell who is who. I have tried one kind of band which had different colors, but when I put them on, the other chickens started biting the chicken with the band on it.

Check for posts by @KsKingBee; he uses leg bands and wing bands.

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

Were they also hitting (pecking at) skin?

They were not pecking the skin but actually just pecking the band. However, when I took the band off, they stopped. It may have been cause it was colorful so they were trying to eat the band but I am unsure.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I use zip ties just bought a bunch for next years hatches I use different colors for different hatches.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

They were not pecking the skin but actually just pecking the band. However, when I took the band off, they stopped. It may have been cause it was colorful so they were trying to eat the band but I am unsure.

Whichever banding method you wind up with, maybe band all of them, the original flock members and any additions. That might(?) reduce the novelty factor.

Or not. Who knows? Chickens, like us, seem predictable, but they break the “rules” all the time.

Good luck!