Leg bands?

[BantyChooks]

I've tried marking birds with blukote and despite the way it can stain feathers, and everything else, it didn't last long even on a light colored bird.
Anything you 'paint' on a bird they will try to preen off and thus ingest, so be careful.
I've seen folks use nail polish on toes and legs, didn't last long..and again, I don't want my birds ingesting that.

A guy recently cut the feathers of a cockerels tail in half to ID him, that would work until molt.

I got paint on a white leghorn by accident this summer... she still has it on her. I've used it in the past as an ID method (paint on the tail of birds I saw in the nest box) and it lasted until the next moult.

 

[WyanDotteMeow]

I was thinking about getting leg bands for our wyandottes, And this thread helped me out!

 

[cavemanrich]

Zip ties worked fine for me, until they didn't. For whatever reason, the last new birds I got, every time I put a tie on them, they were super tight the next morning. At first I thought they were pulling on the end themselves, so made sure to cut it super close. Still super tight. I don't have time to inspect them every morning and then catch one to cut the tie off, so I went with spiral ones and have not had one migrate yet.

As far as other ways to identify, you can toe punch and nostril notch, but I'm not sure you can (should) do that on adult birds, and some people find it inhumane in any case.

I am still trying to imagine this. Maybe your chickens have a foot disease as result of bands.

 

[cavemanrich]

I did search my mind and heart for alternative ways to identify chickens..
This is a last resort if in a bind. Not very permanent/long lasting to all the other methods mentioned previously. OK for short term.

You can opt for number or name.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Leg bands are the easiest to see. they do come in different sizes, so if your concerns are about using zip ties, here is an option. These will not kill your chickens legs.
https://www.amazon.com/001-100-Reus...773675&sr=8-2&keywords=chicken+leg+bands+16mm

I must disagree. I bought some hens from another breeder about 30 years ago and two of them had plastic spiral leg bands that were cutting into the flesh on their feet. One was already lame.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I vote for zip ties ... Checked out the leg bands available but I couldn't figure out the size & I only have 4 BOs. Hubby had some small colored zip ties which I used, works great. I'm still trying to figure out how Mosey2003 zip tie tightened.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

How to foot web mark a baby chick

If done right both of these marking methods are permanent. The wing band method permanently marks each chick and identifies that chick as an unique individual.

The toe web punch method only reliably marks or identifies the chicks' general family or perhaps who his daddy is but not his mother if the eggs in the clutch the chick hatched from were laid by different or even related hens.

One draw back with the toe punch method is that after one year you may have the same toe punch markings on two or more chickens from drastically different families or backgrounds.

 

[Skipper81]

I got paint on a white leghorn by accident this summer... she still has it on her. I've used it in the past as an ID method (paint on the tail of birds I saw in the nest box) and it lasted until the next moult.

Is it just regular house paint? If so I'm going to try this tomorrow.

 

[cavemanrich]

I must disagree. I bought some hens from another breeder about 30 years ago and two of them had plastic spiral leg bands that were cutting into the flesh on their feet. One was already lame.

Not that I want to disagree with you. I may need an upgrade in my eye glass prescription. Are these now referred to as Spiral???

I always assumed that these were spiral.

Most certainly if you use a band too small for said chicken leg, problems are on the horizon.

 

[BantyChooks]

Is it just regular house paint? If so I'm going to try this tomorrow.

Yep.