Plastic split ring leg bands

[HumbleAmerican]

Bought the xl bands from tractor supply to band my broody and non broody hens.

Last weekend I noticed one of my hens limping weird only when running. Finally ID her and snagged her off the roost tonight. That split band sure enough dug in. I peeled it out/off and had a bit of blood to tend to. Doctored it up and will keep an eye on it.

Bottom line, split or not, keep an eye on bands. I feel like an idiot.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I tried the hard plastic bands and did not like them. One size does not fit all so you have to have different sizes in different colors. With my arthritic hands they are a little hard to put on and take off. So I switched to zip ties. To me they are easier to use and one size can be made to fit all.

With any band you have to check them regularly. Zip ties or hard plastic. I've never noticed a zip tie getting pulled smaller but their legs do continue to grow. You can amputate a foot with any of them if they get too tight. I generally don't band mine until they are 5 or 6 months old and I try to check about once a month to see if I need to remove one and replace it with a looser one.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

And yes, I removed all leg bands.

 

[aart]

So I switched to zip ties. To me they are easier to use and one size can be made to fit all.

Exactly!
I use them right out of the hatcher.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/leg-banding-with-zipties.68075/