Time to ring the Allotment birds.
We need to be able to tell them apart, especially as they are all getting to laying age. Well, those that turn out to be girls will be laying soon.
We have not had any experience of tagging birds before, although one of the two Dorking Girls we bought had a spiral ring on her when we got her. I ordered a selection of sizes, each in a selection of colours, from Karen at Merrydale/Regency Poultry. Armed with the little bags, and a tub of grapes, we set off to the Allotment to so the tagging.
We did it in end, although we still have one little brown Dorking to do. All birds are tagged, all on the same leg (so we can use the other leg on subsequent birds, as we're likely to run out of colours).
But it was getting too dark, and I didn't take a pen, so we'll have to make a note tomorrow of which bird in which pen is which colour.
Roo and Captain Flint didn't need marking, as there is currently no chance of confusing them with any of the other birds.
I've also started keeping detailed records of each bird, as once they have started breeding we won't know what's what or who's who. I've just realised, I need to get some tiny rings for chicks. I hadn't thought it would be necessary, but I can see that I'll need to know which chicks belong to which mum.
Bother.
We need to be able to tell them apart, especially as they are all getting to laying age. Well, those that turn out to be girls will be laying soon.
We have not had any experience of tagging birds before, although one of the two Dorking Girls we bought had a spiral ring on her when we got her. I ordered a selection of sizes, each in a selection of colours, from Karen at Merrydale/Regency Poultry. Armed with the little bags, and a tub of grapes, we set off to the Allotment to so the tagging.
We did it in end, although we still have one little brown Dorking to do. All birds are tagged, all on the same leg (so we can use the other leg on subsequent birds, as we're likely to run out of colours).
But it was getting too dark, and I didn't take a pen, so we'll have to make a note tomorrow of which bird in which pen is which colour.
Roo and Captain Flint didn't need marking, as there is currently no chance of confusing them with any of the other birds.
I've also started keeping detailed records of each bird, as once they have started breeding we won't know what's what or who's who. I've just realised, I need to get some tiny rings for chicks. I hadn't thought it would be necessary, but I can see that I'll need to know which chicks belong to which mum.
Bother.
