I was looking in a catalog at leg bands for chickens.Next spring I will getting more golden comets to go with the ones I have now and was wondering how I was going to tell them apart when the new ones are adults.How do you put them on and are there some better than others?They come in all colors but I would think you would not want red as it looks like blood to the chicken and they might peck at them.
The ones I bought are sort of spiral--well they are open on one side and when you open them up and put them on the chickens leg they close, but they can expand to fit the chicken's leg. They come in several colors with numbers on them. You can say what sequence of numbers you want.
http://www.poultrysupplies.com/index_files/page0034.htm
I use the ones that look like small plastic spirals. I like them because if I forgot to take one off, it would not dig into the chicken's leg like the permanent ones, as they grow up. It would just eventually pop off. I start with #4 or #5 on the chicks and go up to #9 usually as adults. I have orange, pink, green, blue, and white. Haven't had a problem with any of those colors. The spiral ones are easy to put on in my opinion because you just separate the ends and slip it onto the leg.
Here is a site that sells them. Lots of places sell them. Just google on spiral leg bands.
http://www.qcsupply.com/Products/545.aspx
But what does Queen's Counsel have to do with poultry?
LOL, very funny Catscan, you know that it is I, who am the Queen's Counsel, regarding spelling of course, and therefore it follows that I have much to do with poultry. Clearly you simply weren't thinking straight!
i used to use the spirals but u forget to change a few and their bands can grow into their skin and have to be cut off with wire cutters cause so sharp on ends, i hate them and won't use them now.
any bird i show and i do ai and pt testing on have pda(pa dept of ag) perminant metal legbands that go on and crush the lock together. to tell who breeders r and whos birds they r since there is 7 of us that show we use colored cable ties or zip trips u can get at walmart or hardware store, they have 3 bands each to tell me info on them. u can put on as loose and tight as u need and snip off extra with scissors. will fit from newly hatched to adults and any color from red, to clear to florecent works and they have not bothered them at all in any color. if u forget to change a band it doesn't grow into the leg as the spirals and some of the others do and if u van't get scissors inside to cut it just take a safety pin and push the tab in the lock over and it releases open without harming the bird.
Thanks so much for the info,I`ll try wal mart as I`m there a few times a week and would have to order anything else.
I use those zip tie bands too you can get alot for a small price and they are easy to put on and snip off. Best thing i like is you don't have to wait to get them just a trip to lowe's or walmart.
hey, big lots useally has them too i get florecent ones there in a plastic tube. u get small and big ones and it is 500 for $5 it is the cheapest place i have found them. i also use clear ones and use agic markers to mark inside of them to change colors if i have to and even red, black, blue that way they leave alone. i also like them because they don't catch on the wire cages either and entrap them. i have had that happen with spirals too.
I bought them at BigLots too. The nice thing is that even if they get tight and you can't get the scissors under to cut them off--the plastic is soft enough that you can just cut across the the little lock from the outside and they fall off.
I use them on my pigeons and doves Yellow is male Green is female and on the pairs they wear matching color bands. So when i have them in a pen for the winter with 30 others i can easily know who belongs to who.
I will also give the babys the same color bands to prevent in breeding lets me know who is who's son/dau or bro/sis.
I also band hens that are poor mothers they get a red band that way i know not to set them.
i band my pigeons also with them,lol i forgot about them. soon as i can tell a way to tell my cockatiels who is bonded pairs they will be wearing them too, rotfl. i like ur idea harm to mark babies and bad broodies, i will do that with mine also. thank u for the info very much appreciated!!
Your welcome i pass along just things i do to keep this zoo running.
I mark the bad mothers because i always have 2 hens per roo and i don't want to forget and set a bad hen.
I also use the big popsickle craft sticks i write things on them like certain feed or hatch dates etc.and insert them into the cage wire. I can see at a glance important things i need to know about the bird. Don't put them on a rabbit cage they will eat them.
I also have a big chalk board i got at a church sale for $2 i write all kinds of stuff on there too.
If your like me i have so much going on during the breeding season i can't keep it all in my head.
