Those leg ring things

[texas_chick]

Are there different kinds of leg ring things (to identify the different chickens by)?
How do you put them on? When do you put them on (certain age or will they always fit on)?
I have 3 Marans and a BR. When they were tiny they were easy to keep apart but now they are looking more and more alike.
I can still keep them apart but if they start to look any more alike it will be tough

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

They are easy to put on but you need to make sure you buy the correct size - the chickens grow and there are different sizes.

I bought some for my pullets - at first they were very easy to identify but then as they grew, they were quickly starting to look very similar - I needed to keep the hatch dates seperate and the legbands did the trick. Now I can tell which pullets/hens are which by the leg band colors.

 

[Lollipop]

Tex, for a small number of birds like you have, the most practical ID bands are available at a building supply store, like Home Depot. Different colored zip ties are available in the electrical dept. They must be put on loose enough to allow growth and checked often to prevent cutting the leg as the bird grows. Good luck.....Pop

 

[aberfitch]

I got a lot of different breeds of birds as well. The zip ties are a great Idea! I have some and will use them. But for the babies I use these little rubberbands that people use on their braces. They are really cheap. I found some on ebay.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This link has some good info on leg bands and toe punching

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=126202

 

[Sheila]

I bought numbered bands here:

http://www.poultrysupplies.com/index_files/page0034.htm

Have the No. 11 for full-size hens.

 

[texas_chick]

Interesting!

I can figure out the zip ties but how do the leg bands get put on? Are tehy stretchy? Would you use some kind of tool?
Or are tehy springy and you just push them on?

 

[Sheila]

The leg bands are kind of like a coil. Think key ring only soft.