The Poultry Keeper

tammy68 · Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:43 am Post subject: Poultry leg bands

I need to get some bands so that I can put the school's chicks in with my own each weekend without getting them mixed up. I have found some on ebay but they are varying sizes from 4mm to 15mm and I don't know which size to get. Or can anyone recommend anywhere else to buy them? It will save me having to keep bringing the brooding equipment back and forth from school to home as I can pu them all in together without bringing the wrong ones back - the kids have named theirs and want to make sure those are the ones raised and kept by the school.

mojo · Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 1:00 pm Post subject:

ok here goes most pet/animal shops stock leg bands ..........several sorts for chicks get 10mm for 1 week for 1 months 12 /14mm make sure they are not closed rings...and be prepared to keep putting them back on till they accept them ............whirly curley wire type or clip type bands you should be able to buy whirlys in a bag of mixed colours and clippys with numbers printed on....................dont forget after 6 weeks remove bands.......wash in milton/dettol and save for next time............. and if you wish you can fit closed rings instead

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1186 Location: Manchester

Sorry mojo - have to disagree with you on the sizes! My day old standard light sussex can't keep an 8mm leg band on, one shake of the leg and it's off! I've had to use some 5.5mm bands - after a week or so they should be big enough to go up to the 8mm bands but it might even be 2 weeks before they can 'upgrade'

my 11-12 week old birds have 18mm rings for the girls but the boys legs have been too big for those rings for about 4 weeks!

Lisa · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:06 am Post subject:

domestic fowl trust also sell them (spiral and flat) in their shop and online:

http://www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk/sundries2.html

mojo · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:42 pm Post subject:

kit i did say be prepared to keep put them on till they stay put and sorry those are the sizes available in france................we are not so poultry orientated as UK

tammy68 · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:59 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the replies and the website. They will be 5 weeks old when I need to put the bands on, so still not sure what size to order. My 7 week old growers are bigger than pigeons but smaller than bantams, they will probably be about pigeon sized at 5 weeks, so would 8mm be okay and if so how long should they last? There are some wrap around ones that spread as the chick grows.

chickens rock your sox · Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 105 Location: Kildare-Ireland

They are available in P and T Poultry situated in Wales!And can also be bought over the Internet. There is a variety of colours and sizes and they tell you what sizes would ideally suit each age in all sizes of fowl!! Very Happy