Marking our meaties...?

[DelcoChix]

We are on week three with our first little batch of broilers, my dd's 4-H project....wonder if any of you experienced folks have some ideas for marking the chicks to ID them easily?...since three go to the fair I don't want to use a sharpie marker or paint in case it doesn't clean off. We've used pipe cleaners of different colors to mark our layers but we're talking here about critturs with huge legs at three weeks and I'm a bit hesitant about using them on birds that grow as fast as these do...any ideas on short term ways to differentiate them?

 

[Wolfwoman]

Colored zip ties around the leg. Cut them off and change them as they grow into them.

 

[DelcoChix]

Thanks Wolfwoman, great idea. I've wondered why they don't make leg bands in packs with assorted colors for us backyard chicken folks who just want to be able to tell our similar birds apart from one another. Maybe they do make them but I haven't seen them at the poultry shows I've been to--only packs of single colors. I'll start to search for colored wire ties--we have a bunch of the boring white/opaque ones but they are the jumbo size...

 

[Wolfwoman]

Quote:
Try WalMart, I think that's where I got mine. They come in a cylindrical tube with like 500 in there of assorted sizes. That being said, I'd bet even if they made the poultry bands in different colors, the zip ties would still be cheaper.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

they sell colored tags throught the catalogs, Ijust saw them in strombergs today. however zip ties are cheap easy and local, I get mine at HD.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Since you're just marking 3 to designate for the Fair, you could go ahead & use the plain white ones. Home Depot also has smaller packages of different colored zip ties.

Randall Burkey has all these for sale: http://www.randallburkey.com/Plastic-Leg-Bands/products/33/

 

[stanglover2001]

I colored my zip ties with permanent marker, since I already had the clear/white ones. Just an idea if you already have some instead of buying a whole new pack.

 

[farmboydj]

zip ties are the best just dont use red!