DIY leg bands?

[Keera3802]

So I’m getting baby chicks within the next week and I was wondering if I could just use some tied chicken string as an Id until they got big enough for the adult band. I want to be able to tell which chicken is which, but I don’t want to have to buy different sized bands for my babies, could I just use a piece of chicken string that I color with a sharpie or marker to get different colors?

 

[sylviethecochin]

So I’m getting baby chicks within the next week and I was wondering if I could just use some tied chicken string as an Id until they got big enough for the adult band. I want to be able to tell which chicken is which, but I don’t want to have to buy different sized bands for my babies, could I just use a piece of chicken string that I color with a sharpie or marker to get different colors?

Many people use the tiny zipties, and just cut them off close to the lock so that they can't be yanked and tightened. Then they cut them off when the chicks outgrow them.

You might want to look into wing-bands. There's a skin piercing involved, but they're on there for the rest of the chick's life.

I've used white paint-markers on head-fluff, when I wanted to see if my baby chick-sexing was accurate (it was 50% accurate, BTW.)

 

[Beer can]

How many are you getting? Pretty much if it's bellow 20 you'll know who is who without marking them. Leg bands are more for breeding them past your initial purchase. When you get there colored small zip ties work good on their legs. Numbered zip ties when you get passed that,... chiken math...

 

[JessicaThistle]

I'm not entirely sure what chicken string is, but I wouldn't use any string. It will get chewed off. I do agree with sylvie that you will be able to tell them apart if you have a small number.

I also don't recommend buying the plastic spiral bands in the future. They shrink. I have had my birds legs harmed by them, even after removing the smaller and buying bigger sizes. When I compared a brand new one with a used one, it had shrunk by half.

 

[aart]

I'm not entirely sure what chicken string is, but I wouldn't use any string.

Agrees...and really wants to know what 'chicken string' is.

I use small zipties....like any leg band they must be checked frequently.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/leg-banding-with-zipties.68075/

 

[Ridgerunner]

Their legs continue to grow for a long time so you have to regularly monitor and replace leg bands of any type, including zip ties. I agree with you on those bands, what size do you buy. I eventually wound up using zip ties but only on older birds. That got me the information I needed. Your situation is different.

Instead of bands on their legs when they are chicks you might consider painting them. I don't mean spraying them with enamel. Many hatcheries will mark a chick with food coloring to identify them if you are ordering similar colored chicks. Depending on the color of the down or feathers you might work out a marking system to identify them. A certain color on the forehead could be one chick, a different color on the forehead would be a different chick. A mark on the right shoulder could be a different chick than one marked on the right shoulder and the left rear with the same or a different colors. You can combine different colors and body locations to identify a lot of different chicks.

Chickens shed down and feathers pretty fast as they grow, you will need to keep up with your marking system. That's not just one or two times as they grow, but several. Instead of food coloring you might use different colored Sharpies. It will not hurt them, you are just coloring some down or feathers.

If you get careless and don't keep up with the leg bands you can hurt them. If you don't keep up with the coloring you do not hurt them, you just can't identify them anymore. I think paint is safer. Another advantage is that when they are sitting down or not in the right position you can have trouble seeing leg bands. I have that with my hens when they are on the nest laying an egg, I can't see the zip ties on their legs. I have to work harder to see which pullet or hen actually laid that egg. You might be better able to identify them as chicks if you use colors on body parts.

I don't do paint as I don't need that information. You might want to consider it.

 

[Keera3802]

Alright thank you all, for those wondering this is what chicken string is! I think it also goes by the name of cooking twine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Alright thank you all, for those wondering this is what chicken string is! I think it also goes by the name of cooking twine.
View attachment 1677652
View attachment 1677657

I would not use that, it'd be very easy for a chicken to get it snagged on something and then panic, flail around and hurt itself. Can't put it on tightly either to make it less likely to snag because this stuff swells a bit when it gets wet.

 

[aart]

I think it also goes by the name of cooking twine.

I would know that as 'kitchen string'.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I would not use that, it'd be very easy for a chicken to get it snagged on something and then panic, flail around and hurt itself. Can't put it on tightly either to make it less likely to snag because this stuff swells a bit when it gets wet.

Agreed....also potential for ingestion if it came loose