Ziptie Banding Codes?

[3KillerBs]

My order of 6 colors of zipties is only one state away according to the package tracking info.

How do you set up your codes of different colors and different legs?

My 2020 flock is unbanded and I can tell them apart since only two are the same breed anyway. But I've got 4 identical black-split-to-lavender chicks right now and am getting others in batches of 3, 5, and 10.

What's your system?

 

[jher77]

1 (single color) band on right leg only. That would make 6 chickens.
1 (single color) band on left leg only. That would make 12 chickens.
1 (single color) band on each leg. That would make 18 chickens.
1 (different color) band on each leg. That would make 24 chickens.

Then you can start doing 2 bands on one side with 1 band on the other, then 2 bands on both legs and keep going from there. You can get quite a few combinations out of that.

 

[3KillerBs]

1 (single color) band on right leg only. That would make 6 chickens.
1 (single color) band on left leg only. That would make 12 chickens.
1 (single color) band on each leg. That would make 18 chickens.
1 (different color) band on each leg. That would make 24 chickens.

Then you can start doing 2 bands on one side with 1 band on the other, then 2 bands on both legs and keep going from there. You can get quite a few combinations out of that.

Yes, but I was hoping someone had a system beyond just numbering them since I will be cycling a lot of chickens over the coming years.

 

[RojoMarz]

Left leg color is year...2020 = blue zip tie
Right leg color is used to distinguish birds inside each breed. Ie. Two BO. One has a green zip tie on right leg, other has a red zip tie. Both have blue on left leg.

Keep a chart of year colors.

 

[aart]

Mine is simpler.
Leg denotes year of hatch, colors vary but mostly also denoting year.
Extra bands are added for notations.
Keep a spread sheet.
And change all bands once a year, they do break and fall off.

Good tools make it easier:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/leg-banding-with-zipties.68075/

 

[3KillerBs]

Mine is simpler.
Leg denotes year of hatch, colors vary but mostly also denoting year.
Extra bands are added for notations.
Keep a spread sheet.
And change all bands once a year, they do break and fall off.

Good tools make it easier:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/leg-banding-with-zipties.68075/

I have indeed read your article and I own the correct pliers.

I just figured it would be easier to adapt someone else's system than to come up with one from scratch.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

My order of 6 colors of zipties is only one state away according to the package tracking info.

How do you set up your codes of different colors and different legs?

My 2020 flock is unbanded and I can tell them apart since only two are the same breed anyway. But I've got 4 identical black-split-to-lavender chicks right now and am getting others in batches of 3, 5, and 10.

What's your system?

I use zip ties on my purebreds. I use any color and use beads for my codes. Here an example, green=2020 pink= what ever group I bought them in. I I change the pink bead to a different color when I change to a new group.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What's your system?

What information are you trying to track? Mine is pretty basic, sounds like you may want to get more complicated.

My mutts are split into black or red feathers. I don't do white.

Regardless of feather color the single zip tie on the left leg denotes the year of hatch.

I identify individual birds within their feather color by the right leg. That can be a single band or two different colors. I've never had to go with three different colors on the right leg, I don't have that many. I can have a black hen or pullet and a red hen or pullet with a blue on the left and a green and yellow on the right, for example.

I rotate my hens by age so I need to be sure of the year they were hatched. I evaluate my pullets to decide which I want to keep as replacements, eating the rejects. Egg laying is a significant part of that but other things factor in also. That's why I keep notes.

I hardly ever zip tie the boys. I start freezing the obvious rejects at 16 weeks. By the time I get to my final for replacement at 23 weeks I can easily identify which mutt cockerel is which. With my goals in playing with genetics I generally switch breeding males every year.

I can easily tell which is which when they are walking around, I don't have to catch them. With some marking systems you may need to catch them for closer inspection. If they are on a nest laying or on the roosts hunched down I can't see the zip ties. That adds certain complications as to which is which.

I try to contrast the zip tie color with the leg color. I avoid a yellow band with a yellow legged chicken.

 

[3KillerBs]

What information are you trying to track? Mine is pretty basic, sounds like you may want to get more complicated.

My mutts are split into black or red feathers. I don't do white.

Regardless of feather color the single zip tie on the left leg denotes the year of hatch.

I identify individual birds within their feather color by the right leg. That can be a single band or two different colors. I've never had to go with three different colors on the right leg, I don't have that many. I can have a black hen or pullet and a red hen or pullet with a blue on the left and a green and yellow on the right, for example.

I rotate my hens by age so I need to be sure of the year they were hatched. I evaluate my pullets to decide which I want to keep as replacements, eating the rejects. Egg laying is a significant part of that but other things factor in also. That's why I keep notes.

I hardly ever zip tie the boys. I start freezing the obvious rejects at 16 weeks. By the time I get to my final for replacement at 23 weeks I can easily identify which mutt cockerel is which. With my goals in playing with genetics I generally switch breeding males every year.

I can easily tell which is which when they are walking around, I don't have to catch them. With some marking systems you may need to catch them for closer inspection. If they are on a nest laying or on the roosts hunched down I can't see the zip ties. That adds certain complications as to which is which.

I try to contrast the zip tie color with the leg color. I avoid a yellow band with a yellow legged chicken.

I'm not entirely sure what info I need (and I'm sure it will change with experience).

Year for sure.
Source?
Keeper vs for sale?
Broody?
Early layer.

I don't have enough experience with cycling a flock to know what I'll want to know.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Year for sure.
Source?
Keeper vs for sale?
Broody?
Early layer.

I don't have enough experience with cycling a flock to know what I'll want to know.

Once you identify them, that stuff becomes bookkeeping. Maybe a spreadsheet or a database. I'm so old and old fashioned that I use a pencil, note pad, and clipboard.