Inexpensive leg bands needed (2)

[jimmywalt]

We have 3 ISA browns that are about 6 weeks old. We would love to find some super inexpensive leg tags for 2 of them so that we can tell them apart. Any idea where we can find 2?

 

[SueT]

Some people use colored zip ties. I haven't tried it, just read about it.....

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Some people use colored zip ties. I haven't tried it, just read about it.....

Some people also have footless chickens because their colored zip ties cut off blood circulation to their chickens lower extremities causing their chickens feet to die and fall off. Just chose wisely.

To be helpful, if you only wish to mark 3 birds you can split the webb of each foot. split the web of say the right outside toe, the right inside toe, and the left outside toe. presto, life long marks for 3 hens and no money out of your pocket.

Rename you chickens Righty, Inside, & Lefty to keep up with them.

 

[Delaneygraces]

Pre Warming: you may not be able to read or understand this. As it’s midnight, and I’m running on very little sleep, I’m exhausted, but restless. Ugg. It’s one of those nights...

I use multiple items, depending on the bird. If they are young enough, I use loom runner bands, then they graduate to zip ties. You need to make sure they are loose enlightened o move up and down the leg, but tight enough to not fall off. You can always cut it off and add a new one if the legs grows too big for the previous tie. I buy actual numbered bands for my show birds, but I don’t think that’s what your looking for.

As said above, web marking works very well! Either by slitting it, or punching it. Toe punches are a nice investment, and they punch a small hole in between the toes, and the hole grows with the chicken. Scissors work fine enought to just slit it, as far as I know.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

To split the foot webs of chicks I use the same knife that I use to castrate pigs. Goats, sheep, and caves are castrated and or docked using a special rubber band. After enough time has elapsed the offending body part merely falls off. I guess a zip tie would work as well if there was a market for footless chickens.

 

[CannedMonster]

They have leg bands at every farm store I’ve been to and even Amazon.
They will expand so they shouldn’t hurt the birds. I think there’s different sizes too.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Don't bet on spiral leg bands expanding, they don't. The only reason there are so many different sizes of plastic spiral leg bands is that they don't expand as the chicken grows. They are useful however to mark adult chickens because there are 10 different leg band colors, one color for each year in a decade. For even numbered years put the spiral leg band on the right foot and for odd numbered years put a spiral leg band on the left foot. You only need to get close to your bird to discern its birth year. A Jiffy wing band tells the rest of the story up to and including dam, sire, grand dam, grand sire, etc. and so on to infinity.

 

[sevenfatcows]

I use zip ties, and have for years. I have never heard of anyone having a footless chicken, but I suppose it is possible. It is really not very hard to keep track and size up ties as needed. It is important to get them on right at the get go-not so loose as to get caught on things or fall off and not too tight lest it damage the leg or impair circulation. Keep an eye on it and it will work just fine.

 

[aart]

I use zip ties, and have for years. I have never heard of anyone having a footless chicken, but I suppose it is possible. It is really not very hard to keep track and size up ties as needed. It is important to get them on right at the get go-not so loose as to get caught on things or fall off and not too tight lest it damage the leg or impair circulation. Keep an eye on it and it will work just fine.

Ditto Dat^^^
Here's how I do it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/leg-banding-with-zipties.68075/

 

[Ahavati]

I've used zipties and never had footless chickens. We put them on loose enough for room but not too loose it will slip off. A few times we needed to switch the zip tie. We just cut it and put a new one. But we notice it way before it can do harm.

We actually today are going to replace one on a meat bird. We banded one, the biggest that we've been weighing constantly.