banding my chickens need help please

[silkie freak 22]

i want to start breeding my silkies and they are SQ birds but i really want to keep track of the chicks and the birds they hatched from. i wanted to know if i could use zip ties as leg bands or any other ideas i do not want to purchase 200 leg bands at a time and i am having too much trouble with the sizing.

 

[Zoopathy]

Hmmmm....

I think a zip tie--if the end was pulled by a curious beak--could get tighter and tighter, which could cause problems...?

Is the cost of 200 bands prohibitive? Or having to store them until you have 200 chickens?

Wonder if you could find some metal bands at a bead shop that would work (though ten of those might be more expensive than 200 regular bird bands)?

Just thoughts! Good luck!

 

[GardeNerd]

A friend and I used zip ties on our Easter Egger chicks to tell them apart. We used a pack with a bunch of different colors and each chick always had the same color. They had to be changed out every few weeks as the chicks grew. We used nail clippers to trim the excess off really short. There were no issues with pulling by other chicks. However, it was a two person job.

Here is a picture of two of them when they were about 3 days old just after getting the bands.

 

[silkie freak 22]

thanks i just dont think i could ever use that many tags i only have 10 sq silkies and 2 are white while 8 are blue

 

[Zoopathy]

Buy you can always "use more"! LOL! Looks like the zip ties work fine! Go for it!!

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

You can order less...25 or so from www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com
or www.cutlersupply.com.
Think you can get various colors........... and numbers if you get bandettes.

Check it out.....

 

[silkie freak 22]

thanks for the help

 

[joebryant]

Get 'em here for $ .19 each, as few or as many of any color(s) you want.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=208865