The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[RedRidge]

I just saw that Strombergs has colored and numbered zip ties. http://www.strombergschickens.com/prod_detail_list/Numbered-Zip-Tie-Poultry-Bands

I have used these. They work fine for chickens who are fully grown, but I really prefer the steps of vet wrap for those are still growing. The zip ties are just too hard to remove safely. I use two different kinds of "tagging" for my different types of poultry. For my production layers, they get a spiral band when they go into the laying group at about 5 months old. The color of the spiral is the same color as the international queen bee color for that year (easy for me to remember), so that way I know the age of all of the production birds at a glance. This is helpful for culling each fall also... Once you reach 4 (I may move this to 3 in the future) you go to the freezer. For my heritage RIR and Rhodebars, I use vet wrap strips cut to 1/4-1/2" wide in various colors until they are 5 months old. As soon as they can be sexed, the cockerel's vet wrap goes on the right leg and the pullet's on the left. Forgot to mention they are toe punched at birth according to breeding pen. When they get to be about 5 months old I have usually whittled down my cockerels to much fewer and they get a numbered plastic band...yellow for RIR, red for RB, and blue and green for various RIR/RB generations in my RB breeding program. Same for the pullets but on their left legs.

 

[aoxa]

Welcome to the thread.
I'm in East TN if you ever want to come over for the day just let me know.
The easiest thing to do in TN is call your local extension agent and find out who the local 4-H poultry kids are. I have found those 4-H kids know more than most about the details of their livestock. And they are usually more than willing to share that knowledge.

I didn't realize you were Southern.

Days like today I wish I was.

Had a rooster who got out last night and slept outside all night in -30. I couldn't get him. Snow is way too deep. I left the baby barn door open, so hopefully he will go back today. I saw him this morning and he looked good from where I stood. He got up and ran away from me.. I tried again to reach him. The snow is like ice right now - but it will break and leave you crotch deep in places. He can walk on top of it no problem, so fingers crossed..

Still keeping everyone in until I am sure the starlings have moved on.

 

[Leahs Mom]

RR - can you give a link to the bands you use?

If they are the spiral type, how in the world to you get them on and off?

And...thanks for the detailed description of how you code everyone.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Aoxa - what do the starlings do that makes you keep everyone inside?

 

[RedRidge]

RR - can you give a link to the bands you use? 

If they are the spiral type, how in the world to you get them on and off?

And...thanks for the detailed description of how you code everyone. 

http://www.strombergschickens.com/prod_detail_list/spiral-bands
They are very pliable and easy to get on and off.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thank you


Oh...and what size for the typical adult LF... SFH, Hatchery Red, etc.

 

[ki4got]

Aoxa - what do the starlings do that makes you keep everyone inside?

for one, eat everything in sight, for another, carry disease...

it's a non-native bird that's forcing natives out of their own habitat... so every time I have a tree FULL of them, I get out the shotgun. we've got one that at a distance does a pretty large pattern with bird shot... one good shot at the tree (50-60 ft away) and I've taken out a number of them. they circle around and land again, I'm ready for the next shot... they don't hang around here much anymore.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
I just pull the rings apart slightly, slide over the leg (vertically) then pull the ends around each side.
coming off is easy too since the plastic isn't very stiff. like RR said, they're pretty pliable, but hold their shape well.

 

[RedRidge]

Thank you


Oh...and what size for the typical adult LF...  SFH, Hatchery Red, etc.

I will look but I think mine are 7

 

[aoxa]

Aoxa - what do the starlings do that makes you keep everyone inside?

They carry disease and often have bird mites. Not risking mites.. They eat the food, poop in the food AND water, and make a general mess of everything - including the eggs.