The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[Junibutt]

I know I am counting my chicks too early but wondering what you guys do to tag the newly hatched chicks. I have done a good job of marking the eggs and at lock down will put them in tomato baskets or gauze bags to keep breeds and even sometimes eggs from specific hens separate. However, I don't intend to have 10 separate brooders running. I will probably have a single or at the most 2 brooders depending on the number of chicks hatching.

Last time I had 21 chicks and it was nightmare. I used small colored rubber bands of 4 different colors and then each chick will get 1. 2 or 3 different color bands to differentiate but as the bands got dirty, it was harder to differentiate between red and purple. Same thing between blue and green. Anyways, what is best practice?

I use the loom bands, the ones to make bracelets out of... there are neons, primary and pastel colors and I never had a prob with them fading too quickly... but I usually switch them off at a couple of weeks or so to colored zip ties...

Those are ones I used but its difficult when you are doing individual weight tracking and characteristics. How many color combinations can you make? I am expecting 30-50 chicks if everything goes well and will go crazy with the color combos.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Those are ones I used but its difficult when you are doing individual weight tracking and characteristics. How many color combinations can you make? I am expecting 30-50 chicks if everything goes well and will go crazy with the color combos.

I can't remember exactly, but a lot... especially if you do 1 color on left leg, then use same color for right leg... and even a color on each leg, different combos... there are also 'beaded' ones, they are just slightly bumpy instead of smooth... Walmart sells the bags of single colors or asst for about $3 for 100, I think... chart out colors on paper first, using different legs and then both legs... you'll see you can get many, many combos... I know I banded out at least a dozen in one batch only using left legs... hope this helps!

 

[hockeydad6791]

At 1:53 pm on March 14th (my birthday), I set 29 eggs.(Nope, not my age! My husband would not have been pleased if I set THAT many!)
12 Black Penedesecas ( Thank you Chicken Canoe)
3 Olive egger with EE roo
5 blue egg EE hen with EE roo
9 tan (most from RIR roo with either RIR hen or black sex link hen) a few are probably EE roo over RIR hen (but I didn't note which were from which coop).

Well happy b-day and gl on your hatch

 

[Junibutt]

I can't remember exactly, but a lot... especially if you do 1 color on left leg, then use same color for right leg... and even a color on each leg, different combos... there are also 'beaded' ones, they are just slightly bumpy instead of smooth... Walmart sells the bags of single colors or asst for about $3 for 100, I think... chart out colors on paper first, using different legs and then both legs... you'll see you can get many, many combos... I know I banded out at least a dozen in one batch only using left legs... hope this helps!

Hopefully I will get a chance to go crazy like that.

 

[CowboysAngel]

I wish I had seen this earlier... I didn't know about it and set my eggs on Monday... I guess there's always next year....

 

[wornoutmomto3]

I can't remember exactly, but a lot... especially if you do 1 color on left leg, then use same color for right leg... and even a color on each leg, different combos... there are also 'beaded' ones, they are just slightly bumpy instead of smooth... Walmart sells the bags of single colors or asst for about $3 for 100, I think... chart out colors on paper first, using different legs and then both legs... you'll see you can get many, many combos... I know I banded out at least a dozen in one batch only using left legs... hope this helps!

Those are ones I used but its difficult when you are doing individual weight tracking and characteristics. How many color combinations can you make? I am expecting 30-50 chicks if everything goes well and will go crazy with the color combos.

I have a question for both of you. I tried using those bands on my last hatch. DS was really into those bands about a year ago. I now have about a billion bands in just about every color they come in. The problem I kept experiencing is the bands would fall off regularly. How do you keep them on? How many times do you wrap the bands?

 

[wornoutmomto3]

I wish I had seen this earlier... I didn't know about it and set my eggs on Monday... I guess there's always next year....

So sorry. You could still keep everyone posted with how your hatch is going, and post pics of the chicks when the do hatch. I always love seeing the pictures. It gets me excited for when mine start hatching.

 

[Ravynscroft]

I have a question for both of you. I tried using those bands on my last hatch. DS was really into those bands about a year ago. I now have about a billion bands in just about every color they come in. The problem I kept experiencing is the bands would fall off regularly. How do you keep them on? How many times do you wrap the bands?

Double them up so they have 2 loops around the leg, works best for me... had an occasional chick lose 1, but not often... also, I found that some bands were very stretchy and some were very stiff, try to use the medium stretchy ones... too stretchy and those fall off no matter what, and too stiff they usually break and/or too hard to get over the foot while doubled...

2 important tips***
*Make sure that both loops are below the hock, if 1 slips over it can injure the chick...
*Check them often and replace/remove before it gets snug...

 

[wornoutmomto3]

Double them up so they have 2 loops around the leg, works best for me... had an occasional chick lose 1, but not often... also, I found that some bands were very stretchy and some were very stiff, try to use the medium stretchy ones... too stretchy and those fall off no matter what, and too stiff they usually break and/or too hard to get over the foot while doubled...

2 important tips***
*Make sure that both loops are below the hock, if 1 slips over it can injure the chick...
*Check them often and replace/remove before it gets snug...

I did the double loop, but I think they were too stretchy. They seemed big and loose on the chick's leg. I thought about doing a triple loop, but was too afraid of breaking the chicks' delicate leg in the process. I ended up tossing the band idea out for the time being and just let the chicks be. I will see if DS has some slightly less stretchy bands in his "collection."

 

[Ravynscroft]

I did the double loop, but I think they were too stretchy. They seemed big and loose on the chick's leg. I thought about doing a triple loop, but was too afraid of breaking the chicks' delicate leg in the process. I ended up tossing the band idea out for the time being and just let the chicks be. I will see if DS has some slightly less stretchy bands in his "collection."

Oh, duh!! Sorry, I think my brain just fell out for a min, lol... Just remembered what I did the last time with the bantams, since doubled loops ALWAYS fell off... stretch them out as far as you can and put a knot in it to the loop size you need, just replace those more often as they grow and that works perfect!