Do you mark your flock? If so, what have you found that works or doesn't work. What do you like to use and why?

Susie

Susie, I keep my birds in breeding pens with a cock and one, two or three females, depending upon the matings I want to hatch from. I use a colored numbered band on each bird, called a Bandette. I use a different color each year, so I can tell the age of a bird at a glance. There are 6 colors, and sometimes I have several old birds with a repeat color, but I know them without a problem! Every egg is labeled with date, and the number and color band of hen and cock.ei. (12R--R for Red x 8W--W for White) I select the eggs I want to hatch, and when they hatch, my chicks have chipmonk stripes and I use a QTip and food color and color code the stripes. The colors stay well for several weeks, but sometimes are recolored if they are wearing off. I use tiny colored spiral bands next, and they need a larger size before they are ready for colored numbered bands of their own. They come in strings numbered from 1-25, 26-50,51-75, 76-100. I do not raise 200 chicks a season, so there are some left to start with in 6 years. I keep records on yellow theme pads, and thus have--for nearly 15 years, the breeding of all my birds, know which lines give me best birds and can discontinue lines that after a year or two, do not show improvement. I work out breeding plans several years ahead--and it is a good mental excercise and has proven to bring greatly improved and predicatable offspring! No short term planning--and a very satisfying continueing project! Now, my birds are valuable and bring good prices and are in demand--always a waiting list. Better to have waiting homes than have too many extras! Maybe more than you wanted to know, but the Poultry supply catalogs have an assortment of bands, leg, wing and toe punches. I can id my birds at a glance by color, and usually can read the number without catching the bird--but also label each pen with the birds in it. Eggs can be easily identified and marked, as rarely do 2 two hens lay eggs exactly alike. CJR

Toe punching works but hole is small and can grow shut. You can remove the web and bird will do fine. Here is a site showing how to number by toe punch.www.weone.com.au/~greggles/strategy3.html

Thank you both for the ideas! And no, it's not too much information, CJR! In fact, what you're doing with tracking a breeding program is exactly the direction I'm heading in so getting your whole story is a big help!

Susie