Chicks I want to keep... How do I mark them so I dont get them mixedup

[Sjisty]

Wilton (the cake decorating people) make a spray food color. I just spray a spot on the tops of their heads. Of course, it doesn't last more than a couple of weeks, but you can always just spray again.

 

[Animalian]

Quote:
One of my friends had a Galah adopt them, just turned up one day and stayed. Her dad eventually decided it's nails were too long so decided to clip them.... some how he managed to cut the birds toes off! Needless to say the bird left and never came back!

Also leg rings can be dangerous sometimes. The reason I remove them from my birds is because one of my canaries got a stick jammed under it alongside her leg, I cut the ring off to get the stick out, leg looked fine... two days later, toes were black, another few days, toes on that foot were gone. she managed to smash up the stump a bit too before it finally calussed up. Lived a long life and even raised a clutch of chick in the end... though footless

 

[BoltonChicken]

Getting back to the question presented by the OP...(and away from the maiming of family pets), I would recommend that you check out plastic spiral bands.
They have been in continual use in the poultry industry for the last 60 years that I know of. They are cheap, and will last the life of the chicken without damage
to the chicken.

You can check them out here:

http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/in...x&cPath=6_88&zenid=8lva38i798oio52s3s2udcbqu6

They even give you a handy-dandy size chart to order the correct size. The leg band product gives me pause because it only comes in one size (8 mm) which
the chicken could outgrow and also has to be shipped from Australia.

I would go with the plastic spiral leg bands.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

We have the plastic spirals and 5 sizes of rubber bands made for ID. They work great, I use the rubber bands for hatching. Since we often have multiple breeds, each gets a different color and then put in the brooder together. Easy to put on, easy to swap out sizes, hold up well, and easy to store.

 

[buildingmyark]

I used those tiny, plastic, stretchy hair bands that come in a variety of colors/sizes. Some of my laying hens still have theirs on.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I use velcro strips. They work great!

 

[tclegg]

Quote:
Yeah I would use zip ties---and they come in different sizes (width, length and weight) and colors. Just use sharp scissors or snippers to take them off. No need to put them on too tight-- because foot will keep band on leg--just enough to stay on--(but not too loose to cause a hazard to bird)

 

[laseterlass]

Black sharpie. Mark em on the leg or head. It wore off in a few days.

 

[tclegg]

Quote:
Also I remember temporarily when I was separating a few that my friend wanted from the day olds I picked up at the farm supply...I took a sharpie and marked the middle toe on each foot of the ones I was giving her---so I knew that those were the ones she was to take...Not in red but I think I used purple or blue...so once I found those I could hand those over knowing it was ok...

 

[johnnycash]

I tried using a small orange rubber hairband on one of my chickens and as soon as I put her down the other chickens started attacking her leg trying to pull it off. I have 4 white leghorns and I can't tell any of them apart. I would like to try adding a marker of some kind but I'm afraid they would peck each other to death.