What size leg band for LF Brahma chickens? Chanteclers?

[nissalovescats]

I have been raising Buff Brahmas for years. I always bought size 11 leg bands for all my chickens. But this year I caught a hen and noticed when I removed her leg band there was an indentation in her leg. Should I get bigger leg bands for the Brahmas?

I also have some young Chanteclers and was wondering what size leg bands breeders use for that breed.

I also have wing bands on my chickens but I like having leg bands which are color coded to indicate age of chickens. It helps me know which chickens to catch.

I do have a list of leg band sizes from an old Stromberg's catalog but it doesn't list every breed possible.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

likely 11 or 12
If there is indentation or they don't easily spin around, they're too small.

 

[nissalovescats]

I rechecked, the too-small legband on the Brahma hen was a size 9, which I use for my smaller breeds of chickens.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Glad you solved your problem. That sure sounds like something I'd do, let's rephrase that, something I did. I quit using those bands and switched to colored zip ties several years ago. It's not just that you need different sizes for different breeds but different sizes for roosters versus hens of the same breed. And you have to wait until they grow big enough for the bands to stay on or use smaller bands and swap them out as they grow.

You cannot loosen a zip tie any more than you can loosen a solid band but you can adjust how tight they go on initially. It's a one size fits all. If you put them on before they are fully grown you have to go back and check occasionally to make sure they are not too tight.

I don't know how many birds you are talking about but since all you are doing is marking them for age you might consider zip ties. I got the 7" ties online, I could not find what I wanted locally.

 

[nissalovescats]

I think I would prefer the spiral leg bands to zip ties but I think I will need a larger size for Brahma roosters. And I still am not sure what to do for my Chanteclers. They are only 5 months old so I don't know how big they will grow. They got their leg bands yesterday but they are loose and will have to check them as they grow larger. But it is handy to have them marked.