Color tags

[macmac955]

I want to make little color themed chicken tags out of crazy loom elastic bands. My chicks are 6 weeks old and they all look the same lol. Is this safe for them?

 

[macmac955]

Sooo we’ve lost our crazy loom privileges because they all tried to eat them

 

[Ridgerunner]

I assume you are talking about using those as leg bands. Personally I would not. As they are elastic I'm not sure how well they would stay on. And then you said they were eating them. Makes that decision easy.

I use colored zip ties. You can probably find some in the electronics section of your hardware store, electricians use them to color code wires. Or you can get some online. You can buy colored solid plastic rings specifically for that but I don't like them. With my arthritic hands they are kind of hard to put on and take off. And you have to have the right size.

The problem with any band on their legs is that the legs continue to grow, even after they are mature. If the band gets tight it can cut the foot off. With the zip ties you can adjust them to the tightness needed but you cannot loosen them, you have to cut them off. I use wire cutters for that. They work great as long as you check them in a regular basis, even when they are adults, and replace them as necessary.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Another way to mark them is to use food coloring. You have different colors to choose from plus you can mark different parts of their bodies. Say the head, the left side at the back, the right side at the front, the chest, lots of possible combinations. The problem with this is that the feathers fall out when they molt so you need to replenish the coloring.

 

[aart]

This is how I do it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/leg-banding-with-zipties.68075/