Banding vs keets tender baby legs....?

[allidew2]

I'm still pondering how to go about marking my keets (when I get them!) to be able to tell them apart. Marking their little heads with food coloring seems simple enough, except there aren't 10-12 colors! Not too sure about using permanent markers on those sweet baby heads! Aren't those possibly toxic? I'm skeptical about using colored zip ties or cable ties on their tender little baby legs. I DON'T want to hurt or damage their legs or skin. Would something like embroidery thread be okay to use? Or would that be a choking hazard if they happened to peck the string loose? Geeze! I'm not even a 'guinea-mom' yet and I'm getting gray hair with worry!

 

[TarheelBirdy]

Just out of curiosity - for what purpose do you want to be able to tell them apart?

 

[PeepsCA]

I went thru this problem last year, with hatching around 250 Pearl Grey keets and 50 Royal Purple keets, from eggs collected from 2 different unrelated flocks so I wanted to know who was who, at least which gene pool everyone came from until their skin was tough enough to handle the small neon colored zip ties...

So I started searching the internet and found some small rubber bands, that come in lots of different colors that breeders use to ID various types of chicks. They come in several sizes, fit loosely on the leg but won't slip off the foot. I didn't have any problems with them coming off or breaking and the keets did not bother them. They are not as brightly colored as the little neon zip-ties, but they are visible. IMO they're a bit pricey, considering what you are paying for, but they do work, easy to put on/take off and are gentle on the keets' legs.

Try eBay, that's where I got mine.

 

[allidew2]

Thanks, PeepsCA! That sounds like a workable solution.

TarheelBirdy.... I wondered how to tell them apart (so that you don't pick the same ones over and over, and miss the others) when you are trying to handle each one several times a day for taming, and also when you begin to let them out for a while (when they are older, of course!) one or two at a time to get used to free ranging so they will all be trained to come back inside with the others when you get them in for the night.

 

[TarheelBirdy]

OK, thanks! I learn something new everytime I come on here.