Ideas of how to mark quail chicks

[NinjaGamer2022]

We have hatched quail chicks and a few I want to mark to make sure I can tell them apart from the rest. Would loosely tying yarn around their feet be a good idea? Thx,

 

[Hiram Means]

The things grow super fast, so make sure you replace yarn regularly.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

The things grow super fast, so make sure you replace yarn regularly.

Thank you for the reply. I will check the yarn daily to make sure it doesn't get to tight. Thx,

 

[Nabiki]

I would apply food colour to their heads and renew as needed. They're likely to peck at or even eat the yarn.

Better yet, keep them in a separate brooder. That's how I keep my celadons apart from the rest.

 

[Ravenlover]

String yarn and other things are how they easily lose a toe or foot even now I catch my house roaming coturnix every so often get some darn strong caught on his foot we're I got to untangle it or he's gonna lose a toe or foot the weirdo

 

[andele]

Yes, loosely tying yarn around the feet of quail chicks is a good idea if you want to be able to tell them apart from the rest. The yarn will not hurt the chicks and will come off easily when they grow out of it. You can tie the yarn in different colors so that you can easily tell them apart. Be sure to check on the chicks regularly to make sure that the yarn is not too tight and that it is not causing any irritation. If you notice any problems, remove the yarn immediately.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

We have hatched quail chicks and a few I want to mark to make sure I can tell them apart from the rest. Would loosely tying yarn around their feet be a good idea? Thx,

Use the food dye (on the heads or backs, and repeat as needed for juvenile molts), several hatcheries are doing exactly that to identify chicks sent out and it works well.

Skip the yarn.. good reasons have already been stated well!

 

[artbykarenehaley]

I like the food dye idea better than the yarn. Requires one person. You can get a 30 color set of Wilton food dye at Walmart so lots of options.
My method requires two people, but it works for me.

I used little silicon leg bands on my button quail when they were babies. Got them from Chicken Hill. (They have a shop on Amazon but they also have a website.)

First I have a pair of c clip pliers that I set to "open".

Then I stick the band over the pliers while they are closed.

I squeeze the handle and this will stretch the band wide.

An assistant gently slips the chick's leg in the band.

Then I push the band up and off the pliers with my fingers. It's important to push the band off using both fingers so you don't rubberband the chick's leg to one side of the pliers.

The bands come in a few colors. If you need to identify more varieties than there are colors, you can use two bands of different colors.

----- don't leave the bands where the chicks can get them, they think they are fun to run away with and while it's funny to see them run around with what looks like a tiny dog toy, I'd worry about them trying to eat them!---------------

As long as you swap them out for the bigger sizes as they grow, it works pretty good. They roll off the chick's leg easily with a gentle grip between your thumb and index finger. I ordered them from a place in Idaho. They have multiple sizes to accommodate chicks as they grow.

 

[taterandflock]

Personally I use the smallest size zip ties they sell, and got a bunch of different colors. I wait until about 2 weeks to fit them with it, choose some different colors, (I avoid using red for pecking issues) and cut off the extra of course and round off the sharp cut edge with a nail file. You can see my hen Tater in my profile pic has a turquoise one that she has had since about 2 weeks. I know some may find it cruel to tag them like this, but it has never caused any issues for chicks and adults alike and will help identify them in the event they ever get loose. Hope this is helpful.

EDIT: another thing I wanted to mention is not to zip them too tightly!! It's easy to tighten them off in fear that they might slip off the feet, but be careful about their growing legs. and be very careful cutting off anything around the feet, their little toes are so delicate.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

Thank you everyone for the ideas. Sadly we don't have food dye right now. The yarn idea I had didn't work, they took it off. In the end I found some small zip ties and did that idea. Thank you everyone from your time and ideas.