Size of aluminum leg bands for wildfowl?

[CAWoodduck]

Hello again! Well, i finished my 30' x 30' pen last weekend to give my ducks more room to fly and so i could put a slightly larger pond in. My wife took over my old 24' x 12' duck pen for her standard size chickens that she ordered!

Anyhow, i moved all my ducks last Saturday and installed all my boxes in the pen and they have taken to the new pen like gangbusters, infact on Sunday evening i observed my mandarins mating in the pond for the first time, and my woodies/mandies are checking the boxes out really hard, with every box having a depression made in the shavings already. Its looking like my first breeding season is getting into full swing and may be a successful one.

Anyhow, back to my original question, what size aluminum leg bands do you use to band woodies/mandarins? Also, what size for Pintail and Teal?

Take care and have a great breeding season!......................Jason

[Evy]

Whatever size they reccommend for Call ducks works. You'd probably need a couple sizes larger for the Pintails.

[CAWoodduck]

Thanks Evy, i knew i could count on an answer from you!

[farmjg]

Out of curiosity, are you banding them for breeding purposes or Federal marking?

Jeff
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GiffsFarm (http://www.giffsfarm.com)

[CAWoodduck]

Eh Jeff,

I am doing it for my own marking purposes, i toe clip for the required federal marking as i have yet to find a seemless band which is required if marking is to be done that way.

[farmjg]

Along with colored zip ties, the past few years I have been using the numbered/colored bandettes............and so far I have had no problems. If you would like to try a few, send me an email and I will get a few out to you.

Jeff
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[Rich]

Jeff, The American Bantam Association sells seamless plastic leg bands. I started using them last year (I also raise some bantam chickens and large fowl chickens). They change color every year (this year they are white with black lettering) and they are marked with the ABA letters, the year 09 and an indivdiual number. I think they run about 35 cents each. Rich

[farmjg]

Jeff, The American Bantam Association sells seamless plastic leg bands. I started using them last year (I also raise some bantam chickens and large fowl chickens). They change color every year (this year they are white with black lettering) and they are marked with the ABA letters, the year 09 and an indivdiual number. I think they run about 35 cents each. Rich


Rich - since reading your reply, I remember getting an email or newsletter from them (ABA) on the bands. What is the time period you have as far as being able to put on the bands............I would be guessing the first 2 weeks max?

Jeff

[Evy]

What is the time period you have as far as being able to put on the bands............I would be guessing the first 2 weeks max?


No, more like 5-7 weeks. At 2 weeks, they'd loose them. Wait until you can just work them over a folded foot easily but they don't fall off. The ABA ones are nice because they're plastic & can be cut if necessary. I use cable ties in different colors for different years...cheap & easy. Just keep a close watch for any sign of a limp or distress & stay away from those ''spiral'' bands. I've seen the point on them work right into a birds leg. UGLY !

[farmjg]

I agree totally with the spiral plastic bands........tried them years ago and saw exactly as you described. I may give some sealed bands a try this year.

Jeff

[CAWoodduck]

Jeff,

I thought about using bandettes, but wasnt sure if they were safe enough on the ducks, but it seems as though you are not having a problem with them so maybe i will give them a try. Thank you for the offer on the bandettes, i really appreciate it, but i can pick them up locally at the feed store pretty cheap and that would save you the hassle of having to mail them out! What size bandettes do you use for your woodies/mandarins and your GW teal?

Thank you very much Jeff, i appreciate the information on your experiences!.........Jason

PS- Thanks for the heads up on the spiral bands as well, i thought about buying some of those as well, but thats not going to happen now!

[Evy]

Jason,
The only problem I've found with the bandettes is that the numbers wear off quickly & , being thin plastic, they often get brittle & break off after a few years.

A #7 is fine for bantam size ducks...teal, Woodies, etc. You probably want a #9 for the pintails.

[cmaddalena]

How tall is your new pen??

[CAWoodduck]

cmaddalena,

My new pen is 7 feet tall on the sides and about 10 feet tall at the center support pole. I used 2" heavy netting in a 50' x 50' piece which covered the whole pen, top and sides. I put a 2' high plywood border around the entire bottom perimeter of the pen and a 1' tall length of 1" chicken wire on top of that for added protection against predators.

My pond consists of a 7' x 9' frame made from 2 x 10 boards, then a piece of pond liner was set in it. I sloped the base from 6" deep to 10" deep and installed a drain on the deep end which is piped about 20' outside the pen into the field. I added pea gravel all around the outside of the pond and made a gradual slope up to the 6" x 16" concrete topper blocks that provide a border around the pond to prevent dabbling from the pintails and ring teal, which used to dirty up my old pond very quickly.

I also took some old tree stakes they were throwing away at work and made two perching areas in the pen that look like "hitching posts" that people would tie horses up to, the ring teal love them.

If you would like a picture, let me know!.................Jason

[CAWoodduck]

Jason,
The only problem I've found with the bandettes is that the numbers wear off quickly & , being thin plastic, they often get brittle & break off after a few years.

A #7 is fine for bantam size ducks...teal, Woodies, etc. You probably want a #9 for the pintails.

Evy, thank you for the size info!.............Jason