Banding Chickens

[mmccarthy781]

Hi everyone,
I have 3 buff orpington chicks that all look the exact same. They are a month old, and I'm wondering if they're old enough to be banded. How do you band you're chickens? How loose/tight do I make the band? I've heard that plastic zip ties work good, Is this true?

 

[maggierose]

Hi everyone,
I have 3 buff orpington chicks that all look the exact same. They are a month old, and I'm wondering if they're old enough to be banded. How do you band you're chickens? How loose/tight do I make the band? I've heard that plastic zip ties work good, Is this true?

Hi Mmccarthy781. When mine were tiny, I put a dot on one chicks head, and a dot on another one's wing, and left one "plain" using a sharpie marker. That worked for about 3-4 weeks so I could tell them apart. Then their personalities took over, and feather variations, and body type even though they are all Buff Orps, too. Just use black or blue marker, not red, so the other birds won't pick at it. Hope this helps!