How to keep idenity straight on new chicks

[snowshoe]

I have red golden chicks and have eggs hatching this week and next from 3 different breeders and have amherst chicks and buying a few more amherst chicks and was wondering what is the best way to mark to identify the chicks so that i can keep unrelated breeders looking for something permanent but will need something temporary also for the time being I use numbered wing bands on my peafowl but this my first year keeping pheasants and looking for best way to identify them.

 

[drowe005]

Im actually trying to do the same thing and was thinking of taking some bread ties, loosely twisting onto their leg, and then cutting the excess off to identify them. Another Idea would be making a make shift "fence" out of hardware cloth and placing the ones you want seperated in the "fence" in the brooder. I do something similar to that in my incubator to keeps eggs from different breeders seperated.

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

The best and cheapest way to keep track is to get small zip strips and place them on the legs of the chicks you want to identify. Make sure as they get older tho' you will have to change them because they will get tight but as long as you watch them you should be fine. Also make sure you put them on tight enough so they don't slip off. I use the clear ones and take a permant marker and color the zip strip for the different bloodlines that I have.They also have bigger ones that are colored but I don't use them until they are older.
Hope this helps you. If you need a pix let me know because I just placed some on my new chicks.
Patty

 

[snowshoe]

I was thinking about using zip ties just not sure how they would work and how hard they are to keep changing as chicks grow. I have my hatching tray divided to keep each pen of peafowl separate and that is how I plan on keeping pheasants sorted as they hatch. If you could post a picture to give me a rough idea on how tight to put the zip tie I would appreciate it. Thanks for the help

 

[Tony K T]

Zip ties would work,but why not keep each line in a seperate brooder?That's the problem with zip ties,you have to keep an eye on the chicks to be sure the ties are not to tight as hey grow.With seperate brooders there is nothing to do but feed,water and watch them grow.Oh and clean their brooders each week.I know having numerous booders is sometimes not an option,but if you want to keep everything seperate it is almost a gimme to have at least 6-8 brooder ready for use.Here is one of my brooders which contains 4-3x4 compartments and 4 2x3 compartments.As you can tell hatching season is over and each brooder is used to store feed trays, waterers,and the lighting equioment.The bigger brooders have perches and are used just before the chicks are ready to go outside.The lower 4 brooders are used for storage or for more brooders if needed.I have another brooder similar to this one,but has 8-2x3 compartments.When they come out of the bator they go into the top brooder with a 250 heat lamp,the 2nd week they move down the line to a 100 watt bulb,3rd week to a 60 watt,and 4th to the 4x3 with a 25 watt which doesn't throw heat,but does provide them with light.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[snowshoe]

I like your brooder that you have where do you keep it located and what are the heights of the compartments and do you have a few more picture to give a little better detail and would you mind if I copy it and build one like it. I have 2 brooders going for peacocks chicks now I have one for turkeys one for my red golden and amherst chicks one for my chicken peeps,also have one small brooder house built with out side enclosed run connected to one of my flight pens that I have 100 ring neck chicks in right now and I have two small brooders in basement one for pea chicks and turkeys and one for pheasant chicks I keep all my chicks in basement for first week then move them to garage. so I have 8 home made brooders going now but I think the design of yours would save me space and time.

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

Yes it is always better to keeo them seperate but in the case you can't this works great. I don't normally have to change them for at least 2 months because you aren't put them on real tight and
they still have room to grow. Here are a couple o
f pix

Hope this helps,
Patty

 

[Tony K T]

I like your brooder that you have where do you keep it located and what are the heights of the compartments and do you have a few more picture to give a little better detail and would you mind if I copy it and build one like it. I have 2 brooders going for peacocks chicks now I have one for turkeys one for my red golden and amherst chicks one for my chicken peeps,also have one small brooder house built with out side enclosed run connected to one of my flight pens that I have 100 ring neck chicks in right now and I have two small brooders in basement one for pea chicks and turkeys and one for pheasant chicks I keep all my chicks in basement for first week then move them to garage. so I have 8 home made brooders going now but I think the design of yours would save me space and time.

Thank youYou are more then welcome to use my idea..I keep it in the basement.It's basically the size of a piece of plywood.Each compartment is 18" tall,24"wide and 4' deep.The overall size is 8'long by 4'high and 4'deep.I use 250 watt heat bulbs for the 1st week,then drop to 100 the 2nd 60 the 3rd and 25 4th.I spray paint all my bulbs red.Why?If someone starts to bleed,the others will peck it until it is dead.The red light helps to hide any blood.I frame it out and then start building from the bottom and then go up.It is a lot easier this way.I put electricity thru the 2nd and 3rd level of pens so I can hook up lights in the tops of the compartment,like shown in pic 2.On the top,I trace around the clamp light and cut out ahole on the top,I place wire on it and the light sits right on the wire.The nail looking thing in pic 1 is a bator termometer.I like to make sure the 1st week is at least 95 degrees.I have pieces of luan that I can add to the front door to keep more heat in.The front of the brooders are they only open wire spots,the rest of the brooder is wood.It's 9 pieces of plywood,and 18-2x3's,plus I used 84' of strapping for the doors.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[snowshoe]

1. Thanks Patty for picture on zip ties. Tony I will probably be making brooder similar to yours this winter as a project, I use wire bottoms with clean out trays on my brooder's and I make them 30 inches wide because I buy rolls of paper 30 inches wide for trays, With the wood floors I assume you use wood chips for litter on the bottoms. The only good thing with mine is change paper once a week and when I take the chicks I just carry it out side and pressure wash it and disinfect with bleach for the next chicks

 

[Tony K T]

1. Thanks Patty for picture on zip ties. Tony I will probably be making brooder similar to yours this winter as a project, I use wire bottoms with clean out trays on my brooder's and I make them 30 inches wide because I buy rolls of paper 30 inches wide for trays, With the wood floors I assume you use wood chips for litter on the bottoms. The only good thing with mine is change paper once a week and when I take the chicks I just carry it out side and pressure wash it and disinfect with bleach for the next chicks

Yes I use pine shavins.It doesn't look it,but they are cleaned every sun loyally.They are about 8 years old now,but I'll get plenty more years from them.After I clean them,they are sprayed with tek-trol.At the end of the eason I bleach them,but use a very low dosage,I don't want to saturate the wood and have the bleach soak into it.
If you have a paslode nail gun it goes a lot quicker to build.
In N.H.,Tony.