Tagging chicks?

[QuailMan6666]

I am planning on hatching baby bantam chickens, but I want to separate the males from the females by DNA sex testing at https://iqbirdtesting.com/

My question is, is there any way of providing a different number to each chick so that when I receive the results, I can separate the males from the females?

I could use leg bands but I would always have change them to a larger size as they grow older. What about wing tagging? How does wing tagging work?

 

[cavemanrich]

I could use leg bands but I would always have change them to a larger size as they grow older.

I would opt for leg bands. Then when you get your results back, Simply use different color zip ties for the pullets, and cockerels. You will not need to change that many times. Install them loose, and keep an eye on them.
Cant help you with wing tagging. Read about it some time ago, I have never done such.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[casportpony]

@KsKingBee is the master of this sort of thing. @KsKingBee, what would you do?

 

[KsKingBee]

We wing tag all of the birds we plan to keep. I have a pictorial on Spring Creek Peafowl on FB how to bleed for DNA testing and how to tag chicks. https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=spring creek peafowl

 

[Debbie292d]

For doing eggshell testing, I bought these. Haven't tried them yet but will be next month.

Then, I figured since I was only going to DNA test about 4 of them, I'd just use markers for the bottom of a foot or a toe, or even their head if they were light chicks.

 

[KsKingBee]

For doing eggshell testing, I bought these. Haven't tried them yet but will be next month.

View attachment 3705858


Then, I figured since I was only going to DNA test about 4 of them, I'd just use markers for the bottom of a foot or a toe, or even their head if they were light chicks.
View attachment 3705860

You can unravel a bath scrubby for about a dollar, it is the same thing as they are selling as a hatching bag.

 

[Debbie292d]

You can unravel a bath scrubby for about a dollar, it is the same thing as they are selling as a hatching bag.

Now that you mention it, it's pretty much the same, but in comparing the two, the scrunchy has finer holes, about double. That shouldn't matter I wouldn't think though. Maybe I'll try both when I get my hatching eggs in January. They are all buff silkies so I only want to keep one roo and hen out of the lot. The rest get sold straight run so I wouldn't need to do the whole bunch.

 

[NatJ]

I am planning on hatching baby bantam chickens, but I want to separate the males from the females by DNA sex testing at https://iqbirdtesting.com/

My question is, is there any way of providing a different number to each chick so that when I receive the results, I can separate the males from the females?

I could use leg bands but I would always have change them to a larger size as they grow older. What about wing tagging? How does wing tagging work?

How many chicks would you be dealing with?

If you just need them labeled until the DNA results come back, you are probably looking at a week or two.

For temporary labeling (a week or two), you could try food coloring. Put a bit on one chicks' head, a different chick's back, a different color on the head of another chick, etc. It will last until they grow feathers.

If you use legbands, you may have the results back before the chicks grow enough to need the bands changed. At most, I would expect them to only need changing once.

What are your plans for the males and the females? If you intend to remove the males, you will not need any kind of mark on the females after that. (By "remove" the males I mean put them in a separate pen, or give them away, or sell them, or cull them, or do anything else that means they are no longer in the same pen with the females.) If you intend to leave the males and females in the same pen, then you can still remove the marking after they get old enough to easily recognize which ones are males vs. females.