Bonus Bit

Here’s a tip from reader Kathy Arbuckle, who commented on the “Band Recognition” article in the March/April 2019 issue:

“I have used colored plastic leg bands for many years to help me quickly identify members of certain ages in my flock. However, I have encountered a serious problem on occasion. In the past, three of my hens have been injured by the sharp points on the plastic leg bands actually penetrating their legs and causing abscesses, tendon injury and even crippling one of the hens. After seeing this occur more than once, I now clip off the sharp tips of the circular plastic bands with pointed wire cutters before placing them on the bird’s leg. That small adjustment has remedied the problem, so now I can still spot those marked hens without risking injury.”