leg bands vs wing bands

[ModernGameGrl]

I am looking to get bands to help keep track of my birds a little better. What are people's experiences with leg or wing bands? I've heard leg bands tend to break after awhile plus if you want to band chicks you have to change them frequently while the birds are growing plus you need different sizes if you raise multiple breeds of different sizes like bantams and LF. I'm kind of leaning towards the wing bands it seems like one size fits most and other than the first week or so when the band may slip around the wing you don't have to worry about the bird out growing it. Any thoughts or input from people who have I'd their birds with one of these methods?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We use leg bands, and you are right, they are a bit of a pain to manage. You do have to pay attention to the size and take them off and switch for a new size if they get tight. Also, the numbered bandettes are more useful but come off unless you put a drop of glue on them to keep them in place. The colored spirals stay on better, but of course you are just identifying cohorts instead of individuals. Some people use small colored zip ties, which are cheaper and adjustable to any bird. I've always been nervous about using zip ties because I worry about the cut end being sharp. But that could just be me acting like a Nervous Nellie.

I've never used wing bands, since I want to be able to ID my birds at a glance while they're running around and I mostly just care about cohorts (Leghorn hatched on XX/XX/XX) rather than the specific bird. The downside to me for wing bands and toe punching is you have to pick up the bird and really look rather than being able to see from a distance "that bird has a red band on the left leg and yellow on the right, she must be the offspring of my Blue Ameraucana and a blue wheaten Marans, born in spring 2012."

 

[centrarchid]

I am using both at same time same birds for redundancy. Wing bands do not require resizing but require digging through plumage to read. Both are not perfect with respect to retention.

 

[zekii]

I've been using the kuhl spiral leg rings for my turkeys, I did like them but they have now all fallen off, so these aren't a permenent solution
to identification. I am currently thinking about using wing bands, I would think these would be more permanent, but I could be wrong.
If you use wing bands let me know your experience with them, and the brand type you use?