Wing Bands

[tadkerson]

I need to keep records of individual birds ( in the hundreds) and I was thinking about using wing bands. I have never used bands.

My question is this; if I put a wing band on a chick will the wing band stay on the chick until the bird is an adult.

Would I have to change the band after the bird grows?

If the band has to be changed how often would the band need to be changed?

Tim

 

[silkiechicken]

I always thought a wing band was a perminant band that was pierced into the wing web of a bird for lifetime identification. But perhaps there are other types of wing bands.

 

[Black Feather]

My birds are wing banded as a part of a government vaccination program. If I want to show my birds they have to be vaccinated and banded as proof. The youngest the birds can be for vaccination is 3 weeks, but I have heard of people banding birds as they hatch. My concern would be that the band may be a bit big for bantams chicks and would require a certain level of skill to band properly at a young age. Bands do not have to be changed once they are applied and silkiechicken is correct that they are placed in the web of the wing. You do have to be careful that you do not damage any of the ligaments and muscles of the wing and only pierce through the skin....sort of like the webbing between your own fingers and thumb. Bands are supposed to be permanent but they can fall off if the band is defective or not applied properly. I would try to find someone who has experience banding to show you how it's done and start off with older birds before attempting those itsy bitys chicks.

Urban Coyote