Identification

[DrakeMom]

I keep looking into getting numbered bands for our chickens legs as our White Rocks and Buff Orpingtons are impossible to tell apart. What are all ya'lls opinions? I found a site that has lots of variety. It's called National Band & Tag Company. All ya'll that have experience with it show yourselves! What's the pros and cons? (Is there cons?)

 

[BYCforlife]

I'm not sure if there can even be cons to a leg band, it's so simply made. As long as you get the right size, it would be pretty hard for it to fall off because of the size of their foot compared to their leg.

 

[aart]

I keep looking into getting numbered bands for our chickens legs as our White Rocks and Buff Orpingtons are impossible to tell apart. What are all ya'lls opinions? I found a site that has lots of variety. It's called National Band & Tag Company. All ya'll that have experience with it show yourselves! What's the pros and cons? (Is there cons?)

How many birds do you have and why do you need to ID them?

I use zipties as they can be 'custom fit'...
...as with any band, you need to keep an eye on them in case they get 'too tight'.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/leg-banding-with-zipties.68075/
I go right leg-left leg for year of hatch, then use different colors and combos for other reasons.

 

[DrakeMom]

As of right now we have like 9 White Rocks and I'm not sure if there would be that many different colors of zip ties in a packet. However, I do have zipties on a few of our chickens. Just the plain black ones. We have two Easter Eggers that look identical and are both named Betz. So I put a zip tie one Betz. We have two sets of Buff Orpingtons, the oldest ones (there are three of them) and then 5 more younger ones. To identify differentiate the three oldest one is dubbed Bubble because she has a lump on the bottom of her foot. (Don't freak out it's not hurting her and we are gonna butcher her soon anyway) The third one is Zip Tie cuz it has a zip tie. And the third one is ''the other one'' cuz it doesn't have a zip tie. But I've been kinda obsessed with numbered leg bands since we first got chickens. (That's quite frankly the real reason) IDK why but something in me keeps craving them. We have three ''generations'' if you want to call it that, of chickens and I would want to get three colors of those spiral ones and have a certain color for their age.


(This is off the subject kinda but, we got the oldest set of Buff Orpingtons from T.S.C. and the youngest set from Ideal Hatchery and their markings are a lot different! A little different shades and patterns. I heard that chickens inherit their parents markings. So I find that very interesting that they look different.)

 

[aart]

But I've been kinda obsessed with numbered leg bands since we first got chickens. (That's quite frankly the real reason) IDK why but something in me keeps craving them.

Then buy some.

 

[DrakeMom]

K, I will!