BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[chickadoodles]

Quote: Thank you. I will see if I can find some.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

Next Questions:

Where do you get your spirals? Numbered zip ties?

What size rings do you buy for chicks? Adult heavies?

Stromberg's is offering numbered zip ties in several colors, but they are a little pricey.

 

[DesertChic]

Next Questions:

Where do you get your spirals? Numbered zip ties?

What size rings do you buy for chicks? Adult heavies?

I buy the colored leg bands off of eBay. I think they're a lot more affordable and durable than the spirals, and easier to install and remove without help from a second person. Here's a link to the seller's page: http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Multi-C...961?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a39797699

If you scroll down on the page you should also see postings for the spiral leg bands used for poultry.

 

[gjensen]

Zip ties do not come numbered. You just have to get whatever color you want/can find.

We get our spiral bands through various online sources - whoever happens to have the color/size we want in stock for a decent price. Some places only sell packages of them that are one color, other places sell multi-colors in one package, and then you have to see if you want multiple sizes in one package or just one size. We just get whatever we're needing at the time.

You get the size rings that fit your chickens. There are a lot of places that have recommended sizes for different breeds - adults. They don't work for us. None of the size charts have our breed, so when we looked at a breed they did have, that is similar sized to our breed (Rocks), and tried the recommendations, the recommended sizes are way too small for our birds. Every chart I've seen recommends something like a size 12 band for a cock and a 10 for a hen - our cocks wear 14s and 16s and the majority of our hens wear 12 and 14s.

You can get small rings for chicks, but you just have to size them according to what fits and gives them room to grow but not be too big to fall off. We used to band every chick after about 3 days old - the smaller spiral bands do not flex well and are hard to get apart. They are so difficult to put on without really squeezing the chicks legs, so we only did it after their legs got a little bigger - worried about breaking a newly hatched chick's leg. These days, we don't band until they get older, now that we are accustomed to our breed. Every once in a while we will band a chick to watch them, but we generally just use zip ties in that case. Sometimes it's just too difficult to find the time to change the bands as they grow, so waiting until they are older is easier unless there is a really good reason to band them young.

I do not band chicks either. I also zip tie a few to keep track of.

 

[bnjrob]

Stromberg's is offering numbered zip ties in several colors, but they are a little pricey.

Numbered zip ties? That's new. If they wouldn't need to be replaced so often, it might be worth it.

 

[RedRidge]

Next Questions:

[COLOR=008080]Where do you get  your spirals? Numbered zip ties?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=B22222]What size rings do you buy for chicks?  Adult heavies?[/COLOR]

Despise zip ties, numbered or not. On young chicks they simply get too tight too quick to keep up with.
The plain spirals and numbered bands can be purchased from any poultry supply co, or at poultry shows.
I use numbered bands size 11 or 13 on my grown cock birds, 9 or 11 on the hens.
For colored spirals I have am assortment from 4 up, but commonly use 6 and 7 and sometimes 9. Even after birds gets a numbered band I use spirals frequently... they are great for putting on a bird who needed special attention and you want to keep an eye on them or for simply marking to remind myself to make notes later. I always have spirals in the pocket of my carhartts... kind of like always carrying a pocket knife and hoof trimmers. Pockets is where those things live. Lol

 

[RedRidge]

I'll add... for real young chicks my favorite identifier is a strip of different colored vet wrap. Love the stuff and keep many colors. Works even on day old chicks.

 

[Dead Rabbit]

Never banded chicks. But you can wing band them at a few days old. Just be sure to leave lots of room to grow into the band.

I used to wing band all potential brood fowl when young and then cull accordingly as the matured. After choosing brood hens I would keep their wing band info in my book and put a colored spiraled bandette on her leg. The color bandette was as such to determine particular lines within said families of fowl. That way I could just look at a hen and know who her family was and if I decided to catch her off the yard and put her in a brood pen I would have her wing number to tell me all the small details about her.

I've also used colored bands that were numbered. And could do the same thing. But the number would get dirty and illegible or eventually wear off. I liked the numbered leg bands the best but they failed. The wing bands were more permanent but I've also had a few of them fall out too. But all L in all wing bands is the best route

 

[Dead Rabbit]

Here is an interesting site I googled and found. Of course it's directed mainly for those who are interested in the history of gamefowl but there are many subjects discussed that may be of interest. The toe punch marking, health and disease, feeding. And of course breeding.

Just a quick glance At the line breeding method under the breeding index. That method is what I was taught and has been used for over 150 yrs successfully. Or longer.

A site probably worth book marking and referencing.

http://www.ultimatefowl.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Index

 

[Dead Rabbit]

Can't remeber who had the speck. Sussex. On this thread. But I'm curious as to how they turned out in regards to production. Egg quality, color and lay ability.

I'm getting ready to order replacement pullets and wanted something different to go along with my commercial layers. But want something that will produce a lot of eggs