Itty Bitty Leg Bands?

[AlderCreekFarms]

I'm just wondering if anyone uses leg bands for quail. If so what brand and size do you recommend? Pros/cons? How do you personally make divisions/ categories of your birds with the bands? Thanks in advance!

 

[Cellomama2]

Not sure about what would be different for quail but I use colored zip ties on my chickens. As far as the labeling you could do different legs or double bands to differentiate categories. The only issue I've had with these is you have to be extremely diligent on watching for when they need to be changed.
As far as dividing them it would depend on how you wanted them divided. Divided just by group you could do all one color on the left leg for each group. Group one is red, group 2 in green, ect. Then if you need more groups you could switch over to the right leg as well so left leg green is a different group from right leg green.
Individuals could be done with a different color band on each bird but all on the left Or right side. Then if you needed more groupings you could do a left foot all one color with the right foot individual colors. For even more grouping do the same idea but have the group color on the bottom and the individual color on top of that all on the left or right legs. The possibilities are endless just make sure you write them all down

 

[RosieR]

Small zip ties work well for quail. If you leave them a little loose but not so loose it can come off it shouldn’t need to be changed.

 

[AlderCreekFarms]

Not sure about what would be different for quail but I use colored zip ties on my chickens. As far as the labeling you could do different legs or double bands to differentiate categories. The only issue I've had with these is you have to be extremely diligent on watching for when they need to be changed.
As far as dividing them it would depend on how you wanted them divided. Divided just by group you could do all one color on the left leg for each group. Group one is red, group 2 in green, ect. Then if you need more groups you could switch over to the right leg as well so left leg green is a different group from right leg green.
Individuals could be done with a different color band on each bird but all on the left Or right side. Then if you needed more groupings you could do a left foot all one color with the right foot individual colors. For even more grouping do the same idea but have the group color on the bottom and the individual color on top of that all on the left or right legs. The possibilities are endless just make sure you write them all down

Thank you! I've seen the zipties too, seems like they'd be hard to put on a tiny bopping bird without breaking a leg lol! I've seen some adjustable ones labeled for finches, that might be a good size. Thanks again

 

[AlderCreekFarms]

Small zip ties work well for quail. If you leave them a little loose but not so loose it can come off it shouldn’t need to be changed.

Thanks Rosie! Ok, that's two for zipties...

 

[Sara L]

I have leg bands I bought on ebay that snap closed around the leg. They can be reopened to take off the bird if needed. They come in lots of colors but the problem is getting the right size. I have bought several sizes and what works for some birds (and stays on) just seems to slide off other birds over their foot when they point their toes. I like the leg bands rather than zip ties because they can be reused. I mainly use them right around 5 weeks when the males start crowing so I can mark the males as I identify them. Then when I cull the males (or sell them) I take off the leg bands to reuse for the next group.

 

[AlderCreekFarms]

I have leg bands I bought on ebay that snap closed around the leg. They can be reopened to take off the bird if needed. They come in lots of colors but the problem is getting the right size. I have bought several sizes and what works for some birds (and stays on) just seems to slide off other birds over their foot when they point their toes. I like the leg bands rather than zip ties because they can be reused. I mainly use them right around 5 weeks when the males start crowing so I can mark the males as I identify them. Then when I cull the males (or sell them) I take off the leg bands to reuse for the next group.

Thanks for your input! So do you have quail? If so, what kind(s). I am going with Coturnix and was going to get some bands but I dont want to have to get a million sizes to find the best fit ya know? Some came free with the wynola ranch cage but they look huge.

 

[Sara L]

Thanks for your input! So do you have quail? If so, what kind(s). I am going with Coturnix and was going to get some bands but I dont want to have to get a million sizes to find the best fit ya know? Some came free with the wynola ranch cage but they look huge.

I have Coturnix and a few button quail. I don't really need leg bands with the button quail because I have so few of them. I posted a while back asking about the best kind of leg bands and the consensus at that time seemed to be zip ties, which I still haven't used. Mostly I have been keeping my Coturnix separated into multiple cages and writing down who is where, so far it has worked, but if they got out or if someone moved them around I would have no clue on some of them as the different generations look very similar. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/quail-leg-band-suggestions-please.1231702/#post-19764807

I am trying to track my birds for breeding purposes and I want to get NPIP certified. The rules state "§145.5(d) Each bird shall be identified with a sealed and numbered band obtained through or approved by the Official State Agency" so I was reading that as I needed permanent leg bands for my Coturnix, but haven't figured out the best way to do that yet. I haven't found someone who is NPIP with Coturnix in CA yet to bug them for advice.

 

[AlderCreekFarms]

Thank you Sara!
What is NPIP certification?

 

[Sara L]

Thank you Sara!
What is NPIP certification?

National Poultry Improvement Plan. It's a governmental program where your flock is registered and tested for several common and prolific diseases. It started a long time ago to reduce the rate of disease and has worked well. The flock is tested at least twice a year.
Legally unless someone has NPIP status they are not allowed to sell birds or hatching eggs across state lines. I'd like to get certified so I can sell my hatching eggs online.