Will I always know them?

[tdkmom]

Red. Nothing like making things easy for yourself. See me, I like to make things difficult at times. Oh well. I did get colored tie wraps. Black, clear, red, green and yellow. I guess if I start to feel like I'm losing clarity on who's who, I'll put them on then. BIG so they have room to grow.

 

[kikescove.com]

Plastic bands work. There is a great company that sells lots of them, either small or large quantities in many colors and sizes. I think they are on eggbid if you ever go there. Another thing I started using to band my birds, (I raise pheasants) are those zip ties. They used to come with your garbage.(I see I didn't read far enough and its already been mentioned) Sorry. I think many call them electrical ties as electricians use them a lot. For this reason they come in a miriad of colors and sizes and can easily be found at any home depot, lowes and many hardware stores, or even stores like Big R or Rnahc and home.

If you band them at a young age, keep an eye on the band getting tight on their legs as they grow, but be mindful of not putting them on toe loose either. I've had them slip and then get bound up on there foot.

If oyu only have a few animals, most of the time you can tell them apart by personality or looks.

 

[cochinbantam-lover]

Thanks everyone, appreciate all the replies!!

 

[cmom]

I used zip ties when the some of the birds were chicks but checked them a lot since the chicks grow so fast. I put the bands on them when they were about 3 months old. The band were loose and a couple of the birds did manage to get them off but not at the same time so I just put the bands back on. Now I buy leg bands. The birds grow so fast I just order the adult size of what ever breed I want to band. Also when banding using the same colors of bands I put one on the right leg on one bird and one on the left leg of another bird. I have also put a different color on both legs of a bird. I use Kuhl colored plastic spiral leg bands. I have read of some one using nail polish on the bird’s toenails. Here is where I get my leg bands.

http://shilala.homestead.com/tags.html
"The Easy Chicken Poultry and Supply"

Kelly Chewning
1602 Salem Road
DuBois, PA 15801
(814)-583-5374
Email: [email protected]

Guideline Chart for Bird Leg Band Sizes
No. Band Size Physical Size Fits
2 1/8" Canaries, day old Quail
3 5/32" Parakeet, 1-4 week old Quail, Doves, Cockatiels, Guinea keets
4 1/4" Baby Chicken, Coturnix Quail, small Pigeon, adult Bobwhite Quail
5 5/16" Pheasant hen, Tumblers, medium Pigeon, Homers, Wood Duck
6 3/8" Pheasant cocks, month old Chickens, large Pigeons, Chukar Partridge
7 7/16" Ringneck Pheasants, Mallards, Wild Ducks, Bantams, Feather Leg and Runt Pigeons
9 9/16" Wild Ducks, Pheasants, Leghorn hens, Ancona, Silkie, Gamebirds
10 5/8" Wild Turkey, Minorcas, Cross breeds, adult Guineas
11 11/16" Rock hens, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Red hens, Leghorn cocks, medium Ducks: Runners, Swedish, Harlequin
12 3/4" Wild Geese, Rocks, Turkey hens, Geese, Jersey Giants, Orpingtons, larger Ducks: Pekins, Rouens, Muscovy
14 7/8" Canada Geese, Turkeys, Honkers, Jersey Giant Cocks

 

[cmom]

Also, I have some friends who get there bands from Cutler’s Pheasant and Poultry Supply

http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6&zenid=mmlpici05da0e2diif7vqg1te1

 

[tdkmom]

Yeah I have no problem getting different colored tie wraps. My hubby's a union electrician. Between them and wire nuts I have them coming out my ears. And my washing machine! I am liking the nail polish idea for the time being though if we could get them to sit for it. At least till they're a little older and I feel safer using bands. I'm gonna check out the poultry sites mentioned too.

 

[consdrs]

I would suggest sapphire red by ulta. goes on smoothly and lasts a long time

but ya, if you want to tell RIR's apart when you have that many, I would do something to distinguish between them. other wise... Red...

Connie