zircon Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I have now got 8 hens who, from the top of the garden all look quite similar, I can tell the difference between 4 of them but the other 4 look very similar. We have thought about leg rings as last night I couldn't determine which hen was in the wrong eglu and left them to it !!! Also we now have a very flighty hen who has already escaped, so I want to put our phone number on her leg ring !!!!!! I have had a quick glance on Ebay and there are several sizes, hence I am now unsure what size a chicken needs. Do I need to measure their legs (image in mind of Clarks Shoe Fitting !) or is there a guide size ? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Im glad you're asking this question... I have exactly the same problem... now my Exbats are growing their feathers back I have trouble identifying them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbey Road Girl Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I ordered some size 8 leg rings as it was the only size offered. Bit of a stab in the dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hi ya, With regards to the flighty one, have you tried wing clipping, it sometimes works, keeps them off balance if they try to fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 Yep, first thing we did was clip their wings and red mite powder them all so they smelt the same (we thought this was a neat trick to try after being recommended spraying them with a weak water/vinegar mix and we have not had too much bullying). However the "flighty" one just ignored the wobbly wing and took off across the allotment anyway ! We have now tried the fattening them up approach and just in a few days their eggs have much better shells, they seem more glossy and now know that they should eat their greens...how quickly they learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 I was reading this as we just got our ex-batts, and while one is easy to identify, the other two are quite similar and depending on their position, it's hard to tell which one has the feathers round the neck missing.... One is heavier, but can't just keep disturbing them to pick them up just to say 'oh ok, so you're Pecky, not Nicky'... Once their feathers have grown back it will be hard to tell who's who... Our previous hen, Mac and Nugget, are slightly different in colour, so usually easier to differentiate... I looked at leg rings yesterday and the websites seem to suggest that 16mm would be the size for hens, or 14 mm for light breeds... Does anyone here know about these, and are those leg rings well tolerated by hens? I don't want to cause them aggravation, but want to be able to know who's who... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Ok This site http://www.achughes.com/Waterfowl.htm says 14.3 Personally I would have gone for the next size up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbey Road Girl Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 The size 8 I mentioned ordering looks about right to me. I thought I had ordered four but only received one @ 15p plus Vat. Two of my four Pepperpots are almost identical, so I may use the one leg ring to tell Toffee from Sweetie. Have only been stroking them gently when they've gone to bed, so I'll have to get them (and me) used to being picked up and held first. Perhaps different colours of nail varnish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
