Plans or changes you wil make for 2014?

[MinxFox]

Yeah I don't know I just hate having to put stuff on my birds, but I know it can be useful. By banding do you mean the wing bands? Is it best to go with the wing and leg band? I know most recommend banding both wings incase if one band comes off.

 

[AugeredIn]

I like the wing bands since you can put them on at birth and never have to change them. Cant do that with leg bands.

 

[AugeredIn]

Now I do use leg bands for easy recognition in the grow out pens. I cut them off before they leave the farm though. Dont want to risk someone leaving them on if they are too tight.

 

[MinxFox]

Maybe I could leg band just adult birds...That is nice about the wing bands not needing to be replaced.

 

[BYC-user-174785]

I always just thought the wing band would get too tight, but I will have to start using them. I will also be using Excel probably and print it off occasionally to keep a hard copy like Clifton recommended. One disadvantage about metal leg bands is in the winter the snow accumulates on any leg band, plus metal gets cold. But most of my adults are not banded at all, so I have to do something.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Wingbanding is fairly easy and I can do one bird myself in about 3 minutes, provided both wingbands are laid out, with one loaded into the pliers. Occassionaly for some unknown reason when the pliers is released it does not open up and needs pried apart and it's because the pointed part of the band does not go thru the slot in the other side. I check my birds twice every year when they are moved to insure both bands are still on, and if not I replace the lost one and record the new number. Only problem with adults is the feathers needs to be plucked where the band will be because of the thickness of the feathers. I don't really check my males, as they are what they are but hens that has the "split" factor in their genetics must be able to be identified more so than say plain IB hens.
I have "pieds" from 2 separate pens, Thang and Roadtrip and these birds looks very much alike, except the Roadtrip sired pieds are split to Black Shoulder, where Thangs is not. I hatched several Opal chicks this year that looks like plain Opals, but all these chicks father,Opie is a Opal Black Shoulder, which is another reason for keeping accurate records and wingbanding.