Some questions about the Jiffy wing band.

[la dee da]

Hey everyone!
I'm hoping to finally be able to start breeding my chickens next year (yay!) and after some research, I think I'd like to mark the future chicks with the Jiffy wing band. It is, however, nearly impossible to find information one these and so I'm hoping ya'll can answer my questions:

- Are they one size fits all? If not, what size (or product number) do I need for large breed dual purpose chickens? One website in particular calls them "Jiffy #893 wing bands" and another also refers to them as number 893, though not as obviously.

- What is their typical price? I found one website selling them for $.10 each and another website selling them for $.30 each. Both come in boxes of 100 and are colored aluminum. I don't need anything custom, just sequential numbers, and from what I can tell both websites have that.

- Can the numbers rub off and do the colors tend to fade?

- Are the colors easy to tell apart? Example the red and orange, the light and dark green, the blue and purple, etc.

- Would it be foolish to get red or orange colors due to pecking?

- What does it mean when a website says they're "stamped"? Is that any different to how they come if a website doesn't mention they're stamped?

- And finally so I can save myself the headache, can you recommend a good website to buy them from? I don't want a chintzy band, but I also don't want to pay $.30 each!

Thank you in advance!

 

[la dee da]

Since no one here seems to know the answer, I went ahead and asked nationalband.com the appropriate questions. They answered within a day and I'll post those answers here to help anyone else in the future:

My question: I only see one style on your website, style 893 size 3, but I've seen mention of a style 890. Is style 893 one size fits all? If not, what style do I need for large breed dual purpose chickens?

Their response: The size 3 is a standard size, if you needed a different size, I would recommend the options the 890s provide.
(for those of you who, like me, are thinking "What in the heck are the 890s?" I want to say I just figured it out! They're the zip style bands, which come in 3 sizes)

My question: Can the numbers rub off?

Their response: They are stamped (machine die imprinted) into the band, so no, but they will wear over time.

My question: Do the colors tend to fade?

Their response: With sunlight they can fade, but they are more likely to chip when it comes to the color. It is enamel paint on top of the aluminum.

My question: Are the colors easy to tell apart? Example the red and orange, the light and dark green, the blue and purple, etc.

Their response: Yes, the colors are easily told apart.

My question: Do the red and orange colors tend to lead to chickens pecking each other, or are they safe to order for chickens?

Their response: I have never had anyone ever tell me they had an issue with pecking due to the band color.

My question: What does "stamped" mean and do all of these tags come stamped?

Their response: See second answer.

My question: Is it okay to wing band a fully grown chicken, or should it be restricted to chicks?

Their response: You can band either. It is just easier to do it when they are smaller.

 

[HippyGardener]

Oh fantastic! You got answers for questions I had too. I just sent them an email as well, but then decided to do some searching on BYC.

How did banding your chickens work out? Are the Jiffy size 3 good for both bantams and the large fowl, or do you know?

 

[aart]

@la dee da sorry no one answered your question,
don't think many use wing bands here.
Just wanted to kudos! you for following up and sharing the info you got, excellent!