Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[the bradley bunch]

hi folks,

 

i'm not quite sure how people will respond to this... some of you might think it's a crazy suggestion and others might love the idea and have already thought about it themselves. but either way i'm going to test the water because i'm struggling to come up with a good solution myself so i'm calling in the help of my fellow omletters!

 

basically, i've looked everywhere for some prettier leg rings than just the plain old coloured ones, but they just don't exist. i stumbled across a lady on a different forum who bought a load of leg rings and personalises them herself, but she only does it using little rhinestones, and i don't care how strong the adhesive is i know my girls would peck at these until they came off because they absolutely love anything that sparkles. aside from the obvious concern of them choking on one, i also have this terrible image of them chasing one another round the garden pecking at each other's leg rings all day! so even if the adhesive did hold it still wouldn't be ideal

 

the concept of sticking something onto plain leg rings did hook me tho... and i thought little flat stickers would be the answer. but finding some suitable is proving a nightmare!

obviously firstly they need to be small enough to fit... then there's the issue of them being 'peck-proof' (so nothing that sparkles!), and the adhesive needs to be strong and waterproof so that they stay on.

my first thought was nail stickers, because they are small & made to withstand being messed with, and best of all there's hundreds of designs to choose from

but how long do you think the stickers would last before they started to peel? and do you think they'd be a health hazard to the chook? i don't mind having to replace them every month or so because it costs less than a pound for a sheet of about 50 stickers, but do you think it's going to be something i'd have constantly keep an eye on therefore bringing more hassle than pleasure? or do you think they would stick pretty well?

 

i think trial & error is going to be the key here... but i just wanted to see if anyone else has any ideas or has customised leg rings themselves before i go ahead and make a fool of myself!

 

ps. obviously i'd never do something that i thought might put my chooks welfare at risk, so safety is always going to be priority. just wanted to see if anybody knew of a chook-proof way to be have a bit of fun too

[majuka]

I agree with you re rhinestones - a couple of our girls are complete magpies and they would be gone within seconds. Just wondering if the stickers would keep coming off when they get dirty. If you have a steady hand, and a magnifying glass what about getting some tiny stencils - you could make some yourselfand paint designs on each. Tiny flowers, hearts etc?

[Roobaloo]

I definitely think paint will be the way forward...if the stickers start to peel, you may have the same situation as with stones...!!

[hippy chick]

That's a good idea

If you did use stickers you could always paint over them with a couple of coats of clear nail varnish that would make them waterproof

[Lewis]

I thought what about spray painting them or something - what do they do when they paint nails with all those patterns?

[Chucky Mama]

I just buy different coloured chickens

[Lewis]

I just buy different coloured chickens

Spoil sport!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

No need for leg rings here either

 

[Chucky1]

Doesn't answer your question at all but, we just use the leg rings for any chucks we want to keep an eye on, be it poorly, broody, aggressive, or not eating....

 

Works for us

[the bradley bunch]

unfortunately because our girls are ex-bats they all look similar!... i can tell them apart from each other (and so can next door's 4 years old if i'm honest!), but hubby can only tell his baby doris from the others and is always getting the other 2 mixed up, which drives me bonkers! hence i brought the leg rings into play (although he still sometimes forgets which colours which ) Lol.

 

i love the idea of painting a design on using stencils (if i could find some small enough) - majuka do you know of anywhere i could get some from? also does anybody know what type of paint i could use (waterproof, not toxic, etc)...

 

i'd also thought about using nail varnish to 'seal' stickers onto the leg rings (as hippy chick suggested), but was unsure as to whether this would be a safe option - do you think if the birds decided to peck at them it would make them poorly?

 

i'll prob try both methods and see which works best, but i need to make sure everything i do is 100% safe so advice on paints, varnishes, etc will be much appreciated!

[hippy chick]

Well mine keep pecking at my toenails and it hasn't done them any harm yet. Not so sure about my toes though

[jomeena]

Leg rings sound a great idea, the funker the better. I chew my nail polish ( bad I know ) but it has never made me ill.

Let us know how you get on. Sounds a good business opp.

Look out dragons den.

[the bradley bunch]

haha, i'd be too afriad of theo!

 

as soon as i figure out some 'safe' nail varnish & paint i'll get making and will let you know how it goes... then if it's successful maybe i could take orders!

 

i'm sure my girls will be most obliging to pose as models! *not* lol

[majuka]

I think you might have to create something yourself. You could find a design that you like - i imagine it would have to be quite simple or the details won't show up at such a small scale. Once you've found something you could reduce it and print it onto an acetate sheet or similar so you could cut it out and paint it onto the rings. I guess craft shops that do a range of child friendly paints should have various non toxic paints. Don't forget to let us have some photos!

[the bradley bunch]

I think you might have to create something yourself. You could find a design that you like - i imagine it would have to be quite simple or the details won't show up at such a small scale. Once you've found something you could reduce it and print it onto an acetate sheet or similar so you could cut it out and paint it onto the rings. I guess craft shops that do a range of child friendly paints should have various non toxic paints. Don't forget to let us have some photos!

 

great idea about craft shops! i never thought about popping into my local one and just asking for a child safe, waterproof paint for plastic ...i probably won't mention what i need it for tho, incase they think i'm a crazy person! lol

i'd imagine 'child safe' nail varnish exists too, so i'll use this for the sticker method (to stop them peeling off).

 

i'm thinking of trying a simple ribbon design first (like some cutesy little bows )

don't worry i'll def post some pics! ...watch this space