Where do I get some Zip/Cable Ties and what size?

[amynelco]

The best cable ties are industrial strength plastic and are American made. The ones that come from China and parts east can be really cheesy. A good place to find them is Cabletiesplus.com.

 

[hoog]

Thanks for the advice I finally bought some today.

I have about a dozen pullets and a dozen Keets that I can't tell apart.

http://www.cabletiesplus.com/

 

[Yonaton]

Or do it correctly with the correct leg bands made for just this sort of thing, so that one doesn't have to worry about an 'oops' if you forget one on a chicken and next thing you know the leg has grown around the zip-tie and now you have a limping chicken with a possible infection.

Do a yahoo or google search for chicken leg bands.

Trying to do something like this that'll save maybe two dollars is not the way it should be with an animal one is supposed to be caring for and raising for food or as an pet. This came up before in another similar thread. The way I made my argument against the use of zip-ties is...what if something happened to you tomorrow and you were either dead or in the hospital for two weeks plus? Would *anyone* be thinking of the animals other than to feed them as quickly as possible and get back to the hospital or whatever to be with you? Will *you* remember to tell anyone you've put zip-ties on the legs of birds and tell them to check them and not let them become a danger to the leg of the bird? Not if you've had a serious stroke and are now a vegetable you won't, or say you're in a coma. What if a bird or more get out of the yard? Now that bird will wander and if it survives predators the leg will grow around the zip-tie, get infected, get sick from the infection and, after surviving for two weeks dies because you put a cheapo zip-tie on its leg instead of a band made to do what it's supposed to do.