What type of leg bands stay ON?

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We need to use leg bands to ID various cohorts of chickens. So far we've been using the numbered plastic bandettes, but they fall off all the time and I'm left guessing as to the age of my hens. I've used the spiral type, but I had a chicken injured by one when it came off partially and the sharp end of the spiral stuck into her leg.

Does anyone know of bands that:
A. Stay on!;
B. Don't injure the birds; and
C. Are colorful enough to see in a group of quickly moving birds?

Thanks!

 

[Kelsie2290]

I think you are pretty much left with the colored aluminum leg bands. They don't come off accidentally. The Atlas ones are easiest to get off if you want to put them on young birds and change later, they cut off with nippers. The butt-end ones are a bear to get off, which means you are really best off to only use them on adult birds. I mostly gave up on leg bands to id younger birds and just use wing bands.

http://www.poultrysupplies.com/index_files/Page723.htm

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Thanks, I never thought about using wing bands. Do they stay on the bird's whole life? And how do you apply them?

 

[Kelsie2290]

The small metal wing bands, like the Zip ones, you push through the web of the wing then clinch them with plyers, they are permanent, once the bird is past the the tiny chick stage there is really no way they can come off. I usually wait until the bird is 2-4 weeks old before putting them on. You can see the colors until the chicks are feathered in, then the feathers cover them. I usually just wing band them as chicks then wait until they are adults to also put metal leg bands on them if I want to know who is who without catching them. There are plastic tags like what they use for livestock ear tags that you can also use for chicken wing tags (about half way down the page) I have never personally used them on chickens. Here are some links to a company that has a bunch of different kinds of bands.
http://www.nationalband.com/nbtpoult.htm
http://www.nationalband.com/leg.htm