Why do breeders do this?

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

They cost money and usually you're marking chicks from hatch to adulthood. That means keeping an eye on them so they're not getting tight and changing them as they grow.
There's also a chance they'll come off depending what type.

I use colored zip ties for chicks after they reach 3 months and make sure it's got a good but of room but can't fall off the foot, all my breeders have their own color so I know what color is which. I'll also mark eggs with their parents zip tie color when I do mixed hatch and then I separate the eggs at lockdown... Works pretty well tbh

 

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

This beak thing seems a little inhumane though, at least when compared to legbands or the toe method

 

[Bsmac]

To me it looks as if your cockerel has damaged his beak/nose by scratching it against something like metal fencing or a metal feeder.

The enlarged nare could be caused by something like snot or feed or similar clogging it and then be removed.

Yes, I have seen that happen with chicks on occasion poking their beaks into 1\2 inch hardware cloth in my grow pen / brooder. Usually it`s a very slight bit of blood then its fine. I have wondered if they saw something that they were trying to get to or scared of.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I use colored zip ties for chicks after they reach 3 months and make sure it's got a good but of room but can't fall off the foot, all my breeders have their own color so I know what color is which. I'll also mark eggs with their parents zip tie color when I do mixed hatch and then I separate the eggs at lockdown... Works pretty well tbhView attachment 4151994

How do you keep track of them from hatch to 3 months? Do you brood them all separately?
I need mine marked from hatch on. I've done zip ties because they're the best economically but sometimes they do come off and that's but I had to always keep an eye on.
My chicks switch brooders weekly when they're really young then it's every couple weeks for a while. That's when I would swap zip ties out.
It's a lot less work, less time consuming, more fail safe and just all around a better option for me to mark toe webs.
Might be a different story if it only did a couple hatches or didn't hatch that many chicks a year.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I would be worried about dust and particles causing issues down the road. If the nostrils were supposed to be open the natural coverings wouldn't exist.

This would be my concern too.

Most likely, the people that do this are using it to mark culls for sale, so they don't care about the long-term impact. I wouldn't give them any further business, whether they've talked you into the idea you're getting a "deal" or not.

I don't agree with this. Marking is for you to keep track of a bird's lineage.
If it's birds you're just going to cull or sale that you don't care much about what would be the point of marking them at all?
I need to keep track of my own so I mark them if I know from day one they're destined to be sold why would I bother?
I would guess this breeder keeps track of all their bird's so even the ones being moved on they know what they're selling.
I also Imagine when they're selling Birds for such a hefty price it is very important to know which ones lineages is what so that could easily make marking them in a way that most of us wouldn't not as big of a deal to them.

 

[WildNectarine]

Is it possible that strips of colored velcro around the leg could work as a marking tool? Very easy to adjust, and comfy if you face the soft side to the bird. Might get dirty and need replacing, though.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the game cock breeding sphere is a bit different than the “backyard” chicken breeding sphere. I’m sure this breeder had his reasons for marking the bird in this particular way but since the OP’s question seems to be largely rhetorical we might never know the details.

Is it possible that strips of colored velcro around the leg could work as a marking tool? Very easy to adjust, and comfy if you face the soft side to the bird. Might get dirty and need replacing, though.

I think a chicken might be able to work that off with it’s beak. That’s the same concept as crow collars which supposedly stay on (I wouldn’t know I have never used one) but the chickens can’t reach it with it’s beak. It would certainly be worth a try though!

 

[The Moonshiner]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the game cock breeding sphere is a bit different than the “backyard” chicken breeding sphere.

I'm gonna say a whole different world.
Even when the OP mentioned prices most everyone was stunned. I think here they sell for about half of what they mentioned. Still a hefty price tag for most to comprehend.
Comparing game fowl breeders to the average BYCer is like comparing someone breeding racehorses to someone with a nice trail horse.
It's just that different. Game fowl are top athletes in the chicken world. Lots of thought go into their pairings and it's a bit of trial and error on which work to achieve their goals.
Marking and tracking is essential for them. This whole nostril deal wouldn't be something I would do it but that's just me.
I could be quick to judge because I have my opinion on it but this is BYC not facebook.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have seen them here for about half that as well but I have also seen them for $50 a pair so I am sure the breeding has an eye toward the intended market as well. People like me looking at game birds aren’t really looking for something with stellar lineage, we just want something less likely to die outside of a coop And if my game cock makes babies with a frizzled naked-neck turducken no one will care.

 

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

How do you keep track of them from hatch to 3 months? Do you brood them all separately?

Nope! Nail polish

I need mine marked from hatch on. I've done zip ties because they're the best economically but sometimes they do come off and that's but I had to always keep an eye on.

Yeah, that can definitely be a pain. I've been wanting to look into the toe method thing

My chicks switch brooders weekly when they're really young then it's every couple weeks for a while. That's when I would swap zip ties out.
It's a lot less work, less time consuming, more fail safe and just all around a better option for me to mark toe webs.
Might be a different story if it only did a couple hatches or didn't hatch that many chicks a year.

I usually hatch large quantities of a single breeding group and keep them in their own grow out pens since my projects need lots of chicks for the most variation possible