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

[aussie pete]

really enjoying yr tutorial with Fred,Al , thanks ,u really know yr onions

 

[al6517]

Ok just so folks get an idea of just what it is we are refering to here is the deal.






The beauty of the whole toe punch thing is it can be whatever you want it to be, make your own matrics, do as you please in a way that suits you and the way you can best track and understand it. The mathimatics of it are almost an endless possibility of combinations.



What we call round spiral bands, as you can see there is a size for everything at any age, any breed at any stage of development.



What is refered to as FLAT spiral bands





This is what a finshed toe punch looks like after the bird grows out a bit, as you can see it's very readily Identifiable, and without any medical reprocussions.



This is the tool used to do the deed called toe punching, as you can see it's not a meniacal little chickie maming tool as many would have you think



So during our discussions we now what it is we are all refering to.

 

[al6517]

Ok Fred where were we ??? were is it that we need to go next, I got my 3 sammiches down my crop and am now ready so hurry up before this old man needs to take a nap heheheheheee lol.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Have you had the "cutting into their leg" issue with the spiral bands that Walt did?

 

[JeffOeuf]

Thanks, Al. I will officially abandon the term that shall not be mentioned.

The ID thing is starting to make sense. The first chart posted, with blanks, can be filled in with as your Buck Rogers Secret Decoder.

Now, back to my future trio. In the breeding pen, how do I isolate the hens so that I know which one laid which egg, while still allowing both access to the rooster?

 

[al6517]

Never ever............ the thing is this only happens when things are left unattended for prolonged periods of time, in other words failure to keep a hands on vigilant approach to the spiral bands. I have seen way too many folks new to bands think they sounded great untill their birds had issues due to inattentivness. They are perfectly safe in the right hands, used properly and monitored routinely, eeasy peezy Japaneezy. I use the round ones when their itty bitty cause the sizes are smaller, then go to the flat ones when they get bigger. My LF cornish roosters wear #14's the biggest available.

Zip ties for many are easy to abtain and easy to use, but they too can be a double edged sword if your not carefull and don't watch them as well, anything is dangerous in the wrong hands, A favorite on the BYC.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Well, I have 6 BR breeding hens. 3 Red breeding hens. Two BR roosters chosen and two Reds. The combinations and assigned a number on the toe punch code system is easy peasey. Ditto with the colored bands thing. I got my "system" lined up for this year.

Good Lord willing, next year will be much more complicated. Got to get there first.

 

[al6517]

Thanks, Al. I will officially abandon the term that shall not be mentioned.

The ID thing is starting to make sense. The first chart posted, with blanks, can be filled in with as your Buck Rogers Secret Decoder.

Now, back to my future trio. In the breeding pen, how do I isolate the hens so that I know which one laid which egg, while still allowing both access to the rooster?

There is only one way to do that unless you have hens who can tell you are they pop out of the vent numbered and labeled LOL. If they don't do that then give the hen sufficiant access to the rooster to give her a good dose or two of the wet venties LOL, then totaly seperate the hen. If you have good trios or Quads just collect from the 3 hens and work with all of them, but to insure single hen egg ID you must isolate period unless your claravoiant.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I got lots of zip ties, so that's the way I'm going for year one. I take seriously your warnings about attentiveness. Why that wouldn't be obvious, I dunno.

 

[al6517]

Well, I have 6 BR breeding hens. 3 Red breeding hens. Two BR roosters chosen and two Reds. The combinations and assigned a number on the toe punch code system is easy peasey. Ditto with the colored bands thing. I got my "system" lined up for this year.

Good Lord willing, next year will be much more complicated. Got to get there first.

You'll get the hang of it and after the first year or two it will become second hat.................. now I could show you my journal coded entries but then I would have to kill you LOL.