How do you guys tag your chicks to keep track of them?

[CBee]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies! Painting toenails sounds pretty good, at least until they are bigger. I would just be too afraid they'd outgrow their ties and then it would be too late for me to take them off.

 

[EweSheep]

I didnt have zip ties on hand and I thought ummmm, food coloring!

Just put a couple of drops on their forehead or ear swab the food coloring dye on top of their heads. Repeat weekly so it does not wash off. I use blue, yellow but I dont use red or green because of likely pecking from others.

 

[Teach97]

Quote:
Leg bands? At Wal-Mart? I am confussed...what are you using as leg bands?

 

[al6517]

I use colored ZIP ties, they have worked great for me.

 

[cmom]

I buy leg bands. The birds grow so fast I just order the adult size of what ever breed I want to band. I have read of some one using nail polish on the birds toenails. Here is where I get my leg bands.

http://shilala.homestead.com/tags.html
"The Easy Chicken Poultry and Supply"

Kelly Chewning
1602 Salem Road
DuBois, PA 15801
(814)-583-5374
Email: [email protected]

Guideline Chart for Bird Leg Band Sizes
No. Band Size Physical Size Fits
2 1/8" Canaries, day old Quail
3 5/32" Parakeet, 1-4 week old Quail, Doves, Cockatiels, Guinea keets
4 1/4" Baby Chicken, Coturnix Quail, small Pigeon, adult Bobwhite Quail
5 5/16" Pheasant hen, Tumblers, medium Pigeon, Homers, Wood Duck
6 3/8" Pheasant cocks, month old Chickens, large Pigeons, Chukar Partridge
7 7/16" Ringneck Pheasants, Mallards, Wild Ducks, Bantams, Feather Leg and Runt Pigeons
9 9/16" Wild Ducks, Pheasants, Leghorn hens, Ancona, Silkie, Gamebirds
10 5/8" Wild Turkey, Minorcas, Cross breeds, adult Guineas
11 11/16" Rock hens, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Red hens, Leghorn cocks, medium Ducks: Runners, Swedish, Harlequin
12 3/4" Wild Geese, Rocks, Turkey hens, Geese, Jersey Giants, Orpingtons, larger Ducks: Pekins, Rouens, Muscovy
14 7/8" Canada Geese, Turkeys, Honkers, Jersey Giant Cocks

 

[cmom]

I buy leg bands. The birds grow so fast I just order the adult size of what ever breed I want to band. I have read of some one using nail polish on the birds toenails. Here is where I get my leg bands.

http://shilala.homestead.com/tags.html
"The Easy Chicken Poultry and Supply"

Kelly Chewning
1602 Salem Road
DuBois, PA 15801
(814)-583-5374
Email: [email protected]

Guideline Chart for Bird Leg Band Sizes
No. Band Size Physical Size Fits
2 1/8" Canaries, day old Quail
3 5/32" Parakeet, 1-4 week old Quail, Doves, Cockatiels, Guinea keets
4 1/4" Baby Chicken, Coturnix Quail, small Pigeon, adult Bobwhite Quail
5 5/16" Pheasant hen, Tumblers, medium Pigeon, Homers, Wood Duck
6 3/8" Pheasant cocks, month old Chickens, large Pigeons, Chukar Partridge
7 7/16" Ringneck Pheasants, Mallards, Wild Ducks, Bantams, Feather Leg and Runt Pigeons
9 9/16" Wild Ducks, Pheasants, Leghorn hens, Ancona, Silkie, Gamebirds
10 5/8" Wild Turkey, Minorcas, Cross breeds, adult Guineas
11 11/16" Rock hens, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Red hens, Leghorn cocks, medium Ducks: Runners, Swedish, Harlequin
12 3/4" Wild Geese, Rocks, Turkey hens, Geese, Jersey Giants, Orpingtons, larger Ducks: Pekins, Rouens, Muscovy
14 7/8" Canada Geese, Turkeys, Honkers, Jersey Giant Cocks

This is an old thread. I found a fellow that sells supplies, so now I get my leg bands from him. I have used the plastic numbered bands but the birds seem to loose them easier. Now I only use the colored Spiral bands. I have some birds that have had the same band on for some years. Every once in a great while one bird may loose a spiral band band but not as often as I have had the birds loose them with the plastic numbered band. Also you can toe punch. I don't use zip ties because I have a lot of birds and I am afraid if somehow I miss a bird, I don't want the zip tie to grow into it's leg as far as my younger birds go. They grow so fast so the zip ties have to be change more often. I have used zip ties but prefer not to. The spiral bands can be different color combinations to keep track of certain birds. I use 11's for my females and 12's for my males. They fit loose at first but in no time they will fit perfect.

 

[cmom]

Quote:

I now use the spiral leg bands. Small zip ties can be found at Wal-Mart, etc.

 

[hidekumo]

Found this old thread when my girl wanted to tag her favorite chick. Awesome & inspiring idea here. Right when we were ready to leave the house to get the leg bands, I had an idea! See the cheap key chain ring? It's adjustable and fits comfortably. Obviously it's labor intensive if you need to tag many birds. For us, one bird is fine. If we decide to tag more, I would add the pet tag from Walmart to the ring.

 

[cmom]

Found this old thread when my girl wanted to tag her favorite chick. Awesome & inspiring idea here. Right when we were ready to leave the house to get the leg bands, I had an idea! See the cheap key chain ring? It's adjustable and fits comfortably. Obviously it's labor intensive if you need to tag many birds. For us, one bird is fine. If we decide to tag more, I would add the pet tag from Walmart to the ring.

Good idea.