Spiral leg band users I have a question and concern

[bobbieschicks]

We're trying to keep track of who is who in our 5 lavender orpingtons with multi colored spiral leg bands.

So with my 10 yr old son's help, I tried to put a spiral leg band on one of my 4 week old chicks today, Francis, who is the largest lavender orpington and a suspected rooster. So I was going to put a #6 on him - got it on him and decided it wasn't loose enough. Took it back off and I went to get a number 8 to switch it and my son attempted to help me - but he got scared when Francis cried out and let him drop out of his arms - Francis ran around and was chased by the bigger hens - so we ended up not putting one on Francis after all the trauma I just put him back in the brooder for tonight - I wanted to make sure we knew how to do it and weren't hurting him before trying again.

My son held Francis in his arms with the chick on its back and Francis was screeching as we tried to put the band on - is that normal for chicks that aren't handled alot? When we took the band back off I noticed that one of the scales had lifted on his leg - did we hurt him? What should I do about it? How loose should the bands be? I watched a Youtube about how to put them on and most of the videos are for larger birds rather than chicks.

For those of you who use the spiral bands - how do you hold your younger chicks and what is the method you use to put the bands on. I'm thinking tomorrow I will try to do it myself by holding the chick closely against my belly and keep it upright while opening the band with the other hand & try to slip it on like a key ring. I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I am not hurting them when they protest so loudly.

thanks!
Bobbie

 

[stcroixusvi]

We put ours on when they were about 3 months old. The sharp point made me nervous, so I cut them all off, making it a lot easier to put on. Some of ours are easier than others to handle, but at least with the sharp edges gone, we had less to worry about.

 

[azygous]

Whenever you need to do something to a chicken's legs or feet, if you position them so that their head is tucked under your arm, while their hind quarters face forward, you can then lift their foot easily. Cradling a chick in the crook of your arm with its head facing under your arm will usually calm them just as it does an adult chicken. This is also an ideal way to carry a chicken if you need to safely move them over a distance without them flapping and getting agitated.

 

[groundpecker]

You could use colored zip ties, they are much easier to use.

 

[fuzziecreatures]

how often do you have to change out the zip ties, roughly? I know when they get smaller but approx length of time?

 

[azygous]

I use plastic colored hairbands you can get at Wal-Mart. They are cheap and come in sizes from 1/4 in diameter on up. They are sturdy, long wearing and stretch.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Boy I wish I'd read this advice yesterday, before I banded one of my RIR cockerels! It took me forever, he was really stressed, and in the period of flapping and screeching, I lost my glasses. (Found 'em again this morning in the natural daylight.)