The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Housing, Health & Hatching
Leg Bands vs. Wing Bands
greeneggsandham:
--- Quote from: Sharon Yorks on October 11, 2014, 11:55:57 AM ---
--- Quote from: Rachel Carlberg on October 11, 2014, 05:35:02 AM ---I'm planning to hatch quite a bit this spring, hopefully obtaining eggs from a few breeders as well as hatching from what I have now.
Sharon Yorks, I really like your idea of the rubber bands, but are they difficult to put on?
Is there a tool to apply them?
I tried the suggestion from another forum of using tiny elastic hair ties, but the chicks seemed to easily be able to remove them, and I was terrified they would eat the bands.
--- End quote ---
Rachel... Congratulations once again for winning the new member incubator drawing! Sounds like you will be putting it to good use. Did you get in touch with Victor and make arrangements to have it shipped to you?
The little rubber bands are very easy to put on and take off and they are reusable. No tool needed, just stretch them with your fingers like you would any rubber band. Over the past few years I have only had about 5 chicks (out of 100s) ever get them off, and all but 1 was during the first 2 days when the chicks legs are the smallest. The other chick that lost a band was a few weeks old and I have no idea how or why it came off. I'm assuming the chick caught it on something and it stretched. You do have to watch them closely (with all bands) as the chicks grow fast and they will need to be changed. That's why I mark down dates and somewhere between 10-14 days I change them all to the next size. I have also found that it helps in determining who the males and females are because "most times" the males legs fill out the bands more and are tighter.
With all methods of keeping them identified, it's all trial and error. This is what I like to use, but I'm sure other methods work very well.
--- End quote ---
Sharon where do you get those small rubber bands? The link above is no longer viable. I'd like to try those.
FYI, for anyone else, I have been using these on chicks. Colors are limited, so it would work alright for limited numbers of pens, etc.
https://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_57&products_id=861&zenid=91c52b270a9a067751542b3b7dbf0a61
I usually put these on at day three or four and they will work for a couple of weeks. For the first few days, I use fingernail polish. I paint their toes, shanks, etc., to identify them. You do have to check them every third day because the polish does wear off. After the chick coiled bands, I switch to another larger colored coiled band, then eventually switch to zip ties, which do have to be changed several times for growth.
Birdcrazy:
--- Quote from: greeneggsandham on October 14, 2014, 11:36:35 AM ---
--- End quote ---
Sharon where do you get those small rubber bands? The link above is no longer viable. I'd like to try those.
[/quote]
I have been buying these from ebay for several years. The gal that I buy from is in Utah. She ships free. They are sizes 2,3,4,5, and 6. They come in 6 colors. Cost is $7 for 100. Her ebay handle is paintworx. You can do a search for chick rubber bands to find them. Look down the list, I think size 4 is the first you will see. Click on that item. At that screen click to the top right on see other items and it will show all of the sizes besides other items she sells. I hope this helps.
Art Smith:
Has anyone tried the tool used for castration to stretch the rubber leg bands to get them on the chicks? It does a good job stretching a small rubber band over a calf's testicles.
DeWayne Edgin:
Art we used it on tom cats to. It works good on them to. ::)
Birdcrazy:
The chick rubber are easily stretched by hand to put on their legs. Before I got my first order I looked around and found a small pair of reverse needle nose pliers with bent tips. I found out that it was just easier and faster to stretch them and put them on by hand. I didn't shoot too many across the room!
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version