Leg Banding Questions - help me!

[Stevenson]

I am sure that this has been discussed time and time again (I have read some of the threads), but I really want to start out doing things the right way.

I currently have 25 chicks, 19 eggs due to hatch on Thursday, and will be putting 24 more eggs in the incubator after this hatch. I plan on culling down to 25-30 chickens. I will have two different lines of Delaware, so I will need to make sure to keep them marked separately. I also want to be able to identify which roo is which, and which hen is which so that when it comes time to start culling I get the right ones.

I have read about leg banding and it appears that that is the most common way to identify individual birds. (If this is not the best way, please let me know.)

So my questions are:

1. At what age should I start putting bands on them? The 25 I currently have are just a little over 2 weeks old. The chicks that will hatch this week will be kept separate until they are old enough to join the others.
2. Can you recommend the type of band to use and where to get them?
3. How often do they need to be changed (do I need to buy several sizes)?
4. Is there anything else I should know?

As I said, this year I am planning to cull down to around 25-30. I am seriously considering increasing my numbers next year.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

I have never banded my birds before. This year I must since I have different groups and I wanted to be able to identify them easier. Some folks use plastic zip ties. I have those but I also got some of the spiral plastic leg bands from Cutlers supply. They were reasonably priced and I was able to get an assortment of different sizes and colors. I have already put some on my 4 week olds. Just be sure to keep an eye on them so they do not get to tight.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had some experience with them but not a lot. With either zip ties or the spiral leg bands, don't let them get too tight. They can cut off circulation in the legs and they can be a pain to get off if they get too tight.

Cutler Supply has a chart that tells you what the different sized bands are good for. That worked well for my hens but the roosters of the specific breed need a larger sized band.

When do you need to start marking them? When do you want top start telling them apart? You can get all sized bands. You can also get zip ties in different sizes and colors.

Consider what color your chickens legs are when determining color. Dark blue might be a little hard to see on an Australorp. Yellow might be a bit difficult on a yellow legged bird.

You don't need a lot of different colors. You have a left leg and a right leg to work with and you can put more than one band on a leg. I use an orange band on the left leg to identify last year's birds. Then I use different colors and color combinations on the right legs to tell individual birds.

If you have different colored birds, your options go up even more. A black bird with orange on the left and yellow on the right is clearly a different bird than a red chicken with the same leg band combination.

 

[Batty about Banties]

VetWrap works well. And comes in a variety of colors and is self adhering.