Keeping track of specific hens

[Ridgerunner]

I use colored zip toes, the 7" as opposed to the 4" though both can work. Just clip the excess length off whichever kind you use. I used to use the hard plastic rings but did not like those very much. With anything around the leg you have to monitor it so it doesn't get too tight. Those hard plastic ones were hard on my arthritic fingers to get off, even harder than putting them on. And one size doesn't fit all, You have to have the right size or you can get SueT"s problem, they can come off. When I got my rings I got packets by color and by size so I needed many packets. With the zip ties you tighten them up to fit. Simpler.

I'll say this again. No matter what you use you need to monitor the to make sure they don't get too tight. That's zip ties or hard plastic rings. I use wire cutters to cut the zip ties off when they start to get tight and need to be replaced.

You'll need to come up with your own color code system. I used the color on the left leg to tell me what year they hatched. Then I'd use the color or color combination on the right leg to identify which specific chicken it was. Of course, if some are black and others are red you can use the same color combinations on them. For example a red chicken with a green zip tie on its left leg to signify 2018 an a yellow and a red band on its right leg was a different chicken that a red one with a yellow tie on the left leg for 2019 and a yellow and a red on the right leg.

Just keep notes, it's not that complicated.

 

[SueT]

I use small zipties.

I use colored zip toes

So how loose should zip ties be, when first put on? I would put them on 9 month old pullets.
Thanks!
Sue

 

[RojoMarz]

So how loose should zip ties be, when first put on? I would put them on 9 month old pullets.
Thanks!
Sue

Tight enough to stay on, but not loose enough to fall off.

Seriously though, use your best judgement. I put them on so that they can freely move up and down the leg. Our LB leg feathers make that more difficult. The first time I put them on, I think they could have been looser. But, you do have to keep eye on them and remove/replace when necessary.

 

[aart]

So how loose should zip ties be, when first put on? I would put them on 9 month old pullets.
Thanks!
Sue

Yep, just tight enough not to slip over a 'closed' foot.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So how loose should zip ties be, when first put on?

Tight enough to stay on, but not loose enough to fall off.

I don't know how to say it any better. Tight enough that I can't pull them over the feet but loose enough to move up and down. Try it, you'll learn to trust yourself after a time or two. Practice can help.

 

[Mrs. K]

There is a toe punch system too.

 

[Georgia460]

. That is actually what I was concerned about at first. I had thought about getting the open kind because I’m always wary of putting things on legs in case something gets caught or too tight. But then I wondered if they would easily get pulled off. Or possibly picked at by the other hens. I hadn’t even thought about the zip ties.

I've had spiral leg bands on my Welsummers for about 6 months and never had a problem with any of them trying to pull them off. The different colors have helped considerably to identify each of the girls. I like the fact that they are not too tight yet don't come off.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I use those clasp rings from tsc. They seem to work fine, but you have to get the right size or they'll fall off. But they're large enough to right on too

 

[SueT]

I use those clasp rings from tsc. They seem to work fine, but you have to get the right size or they'll fall off. But they're large enough to right on too

Do you mean these EZ leg bands? Do they clasp easily? Would they be quicker to apply than zip ties? Can you do it w one hand while holding the chicken in the other?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Yeah, same them and then uae a sharpie and then put clear nail polish over to keep the number or letter on the bands.

They're a bit difficult at first (I practiced closing with one hand before I actually used a bird) but okay once you k ow how to close them. Most of mine I can do by my self, but occasionally I have a crazy bird that needs someone else to hold whole I band