Would plastic tie-straps around their legs hurt them?

[AmyRey]

Despite sitting and watching them for hours each night, we still can't seem to tell our four girls apart.

So I was thinking... if there was something we could do to differentiate between them then it'd sure be helpful and the thought of tiestraps/zipties around their legs (loosely mind you) crossed my mind.

Has anyone ever used this method? Would it be harmful to my girls?

The ends would be trimmed very short so I don't see how they could grab it with their beaks and pull it too tight. And of course, they'd be monitored to make sure there weren't any problems. We wouldn't leave them on permanently either... just until they developed noticeably different feathering, size or mannerisms.

Thoughts?

 

[goldeneggtees]

My thought would be that they would all peck at them, but I'm new to this whole chicken thing so I'm not 100%.

 

[BBK]

we did the zip tie thing with ours, it's just like putting those rings on them, i think.

melinda

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I use them to differentiate similar-looking chickens and they work very well. I've used both the thin short ones & the thicker long ones & haven't had any problems. They don't try to peck at them nor pull them any tighter. Of course you'll want to monitor your own birds closely, especially right after putting them on. Individual results may vary.

As long as they're not pecking at them on themselves or on each other there shouldn't be a problem. The other thing to watch for is that they don't become too tight as the chickens grow & their shanks get thicker.

I have them on my ducks and they have stayed on for months & months.

 

[jvls1942]

have used them.. and they do not peck at them. there might be an occasional peck at first out of young chicks' curioslity, but they get over it when they figure out they cannot eat it..

go to a hobby / craft store and buy a package of plastic rings.. get the multi colored package if they have them.. that way you can use different colors for different ID.
Good layer, year born, hen, rooster,

put the ring(s) on either left or right or both leg to tripple the ID options ... or double or tripple the rings for even more options.. then for even more options, mix colors..

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

When I test chickens for Fair I use zip ties and pony beads, work great, and when you don't need them any more just cut them off.

 

[AmyRey]

Awesome... I was hoping ya'll would tell me there wouldn't be any problems.

And jvls, we won't need that many options. Only four girls and we're not planning on anymore. At least not in the foreseeable future and hopefully, we'll be able to tell them apart by then.

 

[Atlchick]

When we got our first two Barred Rocks, they both had red 'ties' around their legs. The owner said it was his 'three-strikes-and-your-out' rule. Everytime one of the girls went AWOL from his pen he put a different colored band on their leg. The third time it was 'red' and that girl was passed along to somebody else. I love my girls with the red anklets!

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:

I wish I had a nickel for every time I've heard that!

I'd be rich!



I started with two- now have 46!

And zip ties work great, just keep an eye on them.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:

I wish I had a nickel for every time I've heard that!

I'd be rich!



I started with two- now have 46!

And zip ties work great, just keep an eye on them.

you know what? this is what went through my mind,,,,"yeah, yeah".

I started out with 7 buff orpingtonns "just for eggs"

I have 55 laying hens 50 4-week old freezer camp roosters
36 geese, 10 muscovys, 10 guineas, 20 guinea keets, 9 swede ducks anywhere from 200 to 600 eggs in 3 sportsman incubators.. one 3000 egg encubator out in the barn..(I have not got this one running yet) this all took me only 4 years to accumulate..