Breeding Record Keeping

[Redhead Rae]

How do you guys keep a record of your breedings/hatches/individual birds? I've been doing a color coded band system with zip ties (I cut the tails short so they don't get pulled tight). One band is for the year they were hatched and I have another for "breeding group" or "do not breed". I sometimes add a third band for secondary traits I want (broodiness being one). I like this for sight Identification since I've gone well above 50 birds, it is hard to keep track of individuals. Does anyone use numbered bands? What systems of record keeping do you use?

 

[Pyxis]

I too use colored zip ties for the year, and I have numbered zip ties for individual birds. Additionally, since I now have two lines of the same breed, I will be toe punching to keep track of which birds are from which line.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I too use colored zip ties for the year, and I have numbered zip ties for individual birds. Additionally, since I now have two lines of the same breed, I will be toe punching to keep track of which birds are from which line.

Where do you get numbered zip ties from?

 

[Pyxis]

Stromberg's sells them

 

[song of joy]

I use numbered bandettes.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I use numbered bandettes.

Do you have particular ones you like?

 

[song of joy]

Do you have particular ones you like?

I really like the ones from Cutler Supply. I don't hatch out that many chicks each year, so I usually just band them when they are large enough (around 5 or 6 months old) to take the band that an adult bird would take (e.g., size 9 or 11 for most dual-purpose hens).

Rather than using smaller bands of various color combinations, I keep records for the particular color and number bandette that I use (e.g., O1-L means orange band #1 on the left leg).

 

[Then I Will]

I am looking into leg banding mine to keep track of which ones I will breed and which ones I will not be. (I'll probably be keeping a binder with a profile of each bird as well... hehehe)
I've been haunting Amazon for leg bands and I'm not impressed... with the prices mostly.
Someone has zip ties with charms, but I would rather have a plate with a number and they're pricey just to have an assortment of zip tie colors. I need something that looks professional, and a lot of reviewers on Amazon are saying the bands did not fit their chickens. In other words, the listing was deceiving as to the size of bird it fits.
Which is obvious. The listing is for one size and it says the bands fit pigeons, chickens, ducks, geese... and my own ankles by George!

Anyone care to link to some?

 

[Redhead Rae]

After doing some research, I found that the company that makes the "chicken charms" has a product called ZBands. They are numbered bands sold in 25 piece packs in 10 different colors and they are numbered 101-300 in each color. They are $0.02 a band cheaper than Strombergs with more colors available. I don't know if you can specify the range of numbers you want. I think I'm going to order them with a color for the year the chicken was hatched and then do my Auxiliary banding for visual identification as well (blue for preferred breeders, green for secondary, red for DO NOT breed, pink for broody ID, etc). I think I'll only put a number band on birds I'm going to keep around for a while (layers, breeding roosters).

 

[Redhead Rae]

I also found this website (http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/Record_Keeping.html) that had examples of record keeping sheets. I took the ideas a few of them and modified them for my own use (and for more efficient use of paper). I'll attach them below.