leg band sizes

[ozexpat]

I am getting the flock out of here and trying to develop a guinea breeding program in the Philippines. I want to label my fowl with leg bands so i can tell one batch from another as they grow and also to help me with sexing. My plan is to use colored bands on their leg. So my question is, what size bands would I need for mature guineas?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here's a link to Cutler Supply's leg band chart. I don't know the physical size you need but maybe this will help.

http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/index.php?main_page=page&id=5&zenid=ca1lbh7mgofsebg8e35bi02bq7

I've used these for chickens. The recommended size worked for hens, not roosters. You need a larger size for roosters. When I was growing up my neighbor had guinneas. Best I can remember there was not a real size difference in guinnea males and females like there is between hens and roosters but that was a lot of decades go.

 

[ozexpat]

a great tool, thanks.

maybe I am blind but i see just about every bird there but guinea

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are exactly right or I'm blind too. Maybe you could contact them?

 

[PeepsCA]

I've never used/ordered leg bands so I can't help you with size either... I just use bags of colored zip ties (I get the neon colors), and numbered wing bands (these are poked thru the webbing of the wing). The zip ties (I either use just 1 or a combo of colors per bird to identify them by flock and/or sex) are great for an instant visual, but IMO the numbered wing bands are better for record keeping/flock data. I use a combo of both, but they both have their downfalls.

The downfalls to the zip ties are that they have to be cut off and changed out as the keets' legs grow, which requires catching the birds and frequent monitoring of how tight they are getting on the leg, and on adult birds they only last about a year before the sun breaks them down and they fall/break off.

The downfalls to the wing bands are that you need to wait until the keets are about a week or so old before you put them on (there's just not enough wing webbing to work with on keets before that age IME/IMO), and also that they require catching the birds to read the numbers on the band each time you need an exact ID on a bird.

The major plus to wing bands tho is that they are a one time application identification band, you put them on as keets and they will remain on the bird for life, you never need to change them due to growth and they never get ripped out (at least the 100+ wing bands that I've used haven't).