Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[devora]

I've used zip ties and they come off b/c I am not using them correctly. Ridgerunner, should I pull them tight completely against the leg (but not TOO tight, obviously)? For some reason I feel like the band should be slightly loose. But this isn't right, is it?

I need to band one adult bird and am hesitant b/c of past failures!

 

[bobbi-j]

I use the colored spiral plastic bands. For my needs, I need to identify individual birds based on production, not based on parentage. Different needs and different methods for different folks. Thr colored spiral bands are reusable.
I wait until they are big enough for the adult size before I band them. I can't give you age because I haven't kept track. I'm in no hurry until a pullet is approaching time to lay and by then she is big enough. Cutler Supply has a chart that gives you the sizes you need based on the breed and species. That chart only works for hens of that breed. The given sizes are too small for the roosters.
Choose your colors based on the color of the legs. The darker colors are not great on birds with black legs. I can vouch for dark blue being a challenge on Black Australorp.. You night want to avoid yellow on birds with yellow legs. You can still see them, but you have to look harder.
I used zip ties once. They work but you have to wait until the bird has grown enough that it won't get too tight. I've never had any trouble with the spiral bands or the zip ties coming off. Don't use the clear zip ties at all or the white ones on light colored legs. You need a color contrast.

Thank you. My thought right now is to band my 1-year old hens next spring so that when their babies grow up, I know which ones I want to keep and which ones I will be butchering. I'm not sure how to progress beyond that. I want to build a flock of Buckeyes for laying and meat. I have no plans to show or sell, so I'm thinking just ID's for age. A different color band for each year's hatch, if that makes sense.

 

[thedragonlady]

Thank you. My thought right now is to band my 1-year old hens next spring so that when their babies grow up, I know which ones I want to keep and which ones I will be butchering. I'm not sure how to progress beyond that. I want to build a flock of Buckeyes for laying and meat. I have no plans to show or sell, so I'm thinking just ID's for age. A different color band for each year's hatch, if that makes sense.

I would use the numbered bandettes for your girls. You can use a 3 year color rotation : 1=blue, 2= red, 3=yellow. the numbers will let you record who is a good layer or mama too. I've always used the shocking pink ones on my show birds, but they no longer make that color. Sigh...Good thing I had a stash.

Vickie

 

[bobbi-j]

I would use the numbered bandettes for your girls. You can use a 3 year color rotation : 1=blue, 2= red, 3=yellow. the numbers will let you record who is a good layer or mama too. I've always used the shocking pink ones on my show birds, but they no longer make that color. Sigh...Good thing I had a stash.

Vickie

Vickie - that's a good idea with the numbers. I will look into getting the numbered ones. I guess if I'm going to get serious about having a dual-purpose breeding flock I will have to be serious about keeping good records as far as good productivity, too. The 3-year rotation of colors is what I was thinking about.

 

[therapydoglady]

Thank you. My thought right now is to band my 1-year old hens next spring so that when their babies grow up, I know which ones I want to keep and which ones I will be butchering. I'm not sure how to progress beyond that. I want to build a flock of Buckeyes for laying and meat. I have no plans to show or sell, so I'm thinking just ID's for age. A different color band for each year's hatch, if that makes sense.

I use this method for my goats. I can tell at a glance how old they are by the color of collars that they wear. Each year has a specific collar color. Works great. I don't band my chickens...The laying flock gets replaced every other year. The heritage Doms are as different to me as my kids!

 

[therapydoglady]

No it's fine really, no infection risk and they do tolerate it very well, no bleeding, no problems at all. You have to get the whole injuring the foot idea out of your head because that isn't what it is, it is much less intrusive and far safer and so much more dependable than a zip tie or a twisty tie or a wing band. I imagine there are only probably less than 00001% of BYCer's who do this or would think to use it because of a negitive uninformed perception of what the little cute chick feels. You know the 40 bazillion pet folks are freaking out already but then again none of them are serious breeders and this method won't work for them because of their own mental challenges when it comes to common sense. They will name them before they can ID them LOL, it is just another method of ID for the most serious of chicken/fowl breeders and in those circles it is common knowledge that it is the prefered & encoraged method.

Don't know why anyone would think this would be any worse that notching a pig's ear, tagging a cow's ear or docking a puppy's tail. If done while they are very young (day old) the blood supply isn't anything to speak of in a chicken or puppy!

 

[Kassaundra]

That is good advice. My buffs are 6 months old. Their legs are skinny compared to my Aussie! Ha ha. I just want to be able to tell them apart. I think I'll be ok if I put them on with some wiggle room.. Bracelets for the hens. My sweet man is gonna laugh! Thanks for the info..

Just don't forget the bedazzler.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/index.php?main_page=page&id=5
Leg Band Size Chart

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BAND SIZE CHART
Charts Are Guides Only As Sizes May Vary Within Breeds

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]PIGEONS
4 Starlings, Tipplers, Rollers, Fantails, Chinese Owls.
5 Racing Homers, Clean Leg Tumblers, Jacobins, Dragoons, Damascenes.
6 Show Racers, English Carriers, Kings, Feather Leg Toys, Mondaines.
7 Giant Runts, Pomeranian Pouters, English Trumpeters, Swallows.
DUCKS
5 Wild Ducks (1 day-6 weeks), Wild Geese (1 day-6 weeks), Blue Winged Teal, Woodduck, Mandarin.
6 Wild Ducks (6 weeks-adult), Wild Geese (4-10 weeks),Wood ducks, Gadwall, Pintail.
7 Mallard, Call, East Indies, Wigeons, Baldpate, Pintail.
8 Geese(6-12 weeks), Wild Ducks.
9 Runner, Campbell, Magpie.
12 Adult Small Wild Geese, Egyptian, Pekin, Cayuga, Swedish, Muscovy,
Buff, Roman, Pomeranian, Alesbury.
14 Canada, Swans, Muscovy Males, Seastopal, Pilgrim, China.
16 Swans, Giant Canada, Embden, African, Toulouse.
POULTRY
4 Baby Chicks.
5 Small Bantam Hens
6 Growing Chicks
BANTAMS
7 Bantam Ancona, Andalusian, Australorps, Belgian, Campine, Cornish Females, Dutch Bearded Frizzle, Clean Legged Game, Hamburg, Houdan, Japanese, Jungle Fowl, Lakenvelder, Leghorn, Maylay, Minorca, New Hampshire, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Polish, Rhode Island, Rosecomb, Sebright, Sultan, Sumatra, Sussex, Wyandotte.
9 Booted, Brahma, Cochin Females, Cornish Males, Frizzle, Feather Legged,
MilleFleur, Langshan, Silkie.
11 Brahma
STANDARDS
9 Females of the following: Ancona, Araucana, Andalusian, Campine, Frizzle Clean Legged, Game, Hamburg, Houdan, Lakenvelder, Leghorn, Minorca, Polish, Sultan, Sumatra.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]11 Males of the following: Araucana, Andalusian, Frizzle Clean Legged, Game, Houdan, Lakenvelder, Leghorn, Maylay, Minorca, Polish, Rock, Sultan, Sumatra.
12 Australorps, Booted, Brahma, Cochin, Cornish, Frizzle-Feather Legged, Jungle Fowl, Langsham, New Hampshire, Orpogton, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island, Sussex, Wyandotte.
14 Turkey Hens
16 Tom Turkeys
GAME
2 Quail (1 day-2 weeks), Button Quail
2.5 Quail (2-4 weeks)
3 Doves, Mexican Quail, Calif. Valley Quail.
4 Doves, Pheasants (day old), Bobwhite Quail (adult)
5 Pheasant Females (Golden, Amherst, Yellow), Hun. Partridge.
6 Ruffled Grouse Female, Chukar, Prairie Chickens, Pheasant Males (Golden, Amherst, Yellow).
7 Sage Grouse. Elliot Pheasant, Ringneck Pheasant Females, Peacock Pheasants Chukar.
8 Sage Grouse, Ringneck Pheasant Males.
9 Ringneck Pheasant Males, Earred Pheasants.
11 Peahens
12 Peacocks, Wild Turkeys.
14 Wild Turkeys
CAGE BIRDS
2 Canaries, Finch.
2.5 Yorkshire & Large Canaries, Parakeets, Lovebirds.
3 Cockatiels[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've used zip ties and they come off b/c I am not using them correctly.  Ridgerunner, should I pull them tight completely against the leg (but not TOO tight, obviously)? For some reason I feel like the band should be slightly loose. But this isn't right, is it? :/

I need to band one adult bird and am hesitant b/c of past failures!

I did not put it tight at all. There was quite a bit of play. There is only one specific way you should put the zip tie together. If you don't put the tip in the slot the right way, it is not going to hold. If you put it in the right way, it will hold even when loose.

The method I use for colored bands is to put one specific color on the left leg for the year. I use different bands or combinations of band colors on the right leg for individual identification. I get by quite well with three colors, but what you need depends on what you are trying to do and how many chickens you have. I'm nit limited to three hens with three colors. A hen with a blue band is different than one with a blue and a yellow. Two blues and a yellow would be yet a different hen. If you can get the numbered bands that will worlk great too. There are many different ways to do it. I do have a question. How easy is it to read the numbered bands without catching the chicken. I'd think it would be pretty easy but i'll ask anyway.

I have not tried the toe punching but I don't see why it would be any different from a lot of other animal husbandry practices that might seem cruel to the people not familiar with them but usually are not.

 

[MOChickenShoes]

I've used zip ties and they come off b/c I am not using them correctly. Ridgerunner, should I pull them tight completely against the leg (but not TOO tight, obviously)? For some reason I feel like the band should be slightly loose. But this isn't right, is it?

I need to band one adult bird and am hesitant b/c of past failures!

i'm not an OT (or ridgerunner obviously

), but i'm pretty sure somewhere earlier in this mountain of a thread is where i saw it discussed before. you can put the zip ties on pretty loosely, just so long as it's not loose enough to actually fall of their feet (which can mean surprisingly loose). i use a relatively thick tie, probably a little over 1/4" wide, and have it loose enough to where i'm sure i could squeeze a finger (end of my pinky anyway) between the tie and the leg. zero problems so far, either with ties falling/breaking off or the chickens being even mildly bothered by them.

ETA ridgerunner beat me, so i just feel silly now lol