other record ideas besides banding?

[MaraJade]

You know, lovebugs post got me thinking. . .

It seems like quite a few of you have posted on here that you don't have bands on any of your birds, at least not the pet ones. Do any of the breeders on here band their birds?

I had such a difficult time with banding and then the mom took all the bands off anyway that I am wondering if I even want to bother with it.

The only thing that worries me is keeping an accurate record. I'm getting a record book to track all the clutches in. Without bands, how do you all keep them straight? Say someone picks out a specific lovebird but there are two that look alike? How do you tell them apart without band numbers?

Any ideas? As with the hand feeding I"d like to avoid this banding business as well if it's not necessary. If it is. . .well, I"ll just have to get better at it. lol.

[Jezz]

With the mother taking the bands off, i have read that they will pick at anything that is shiny. So when you band your birds you can colour it in with a permanent marker so the band is no longer shiny and the mother will not notice it. Don't know it this works or not but i have read it before and i suppose it makes sense

I don't band my Lovebirds, i only band the birds that i get surgically sexed ie. Ringnecks, Conures.

I have made seperate spreadsheats in Microsoft Excel for all my Breeding Pairs, Breeding Results, and Babies I Sell.
All of my lovies turn out to be a mixed bag, i have never gotten 2 babies that look the same in a clutch before so i never have any troubles with identifying birds. Also, i know my birds very well so i never mistake any of them.

[Janie]

Jessie, I hope Rubygem (my breeder) will see this and reply. She does band but she also keeps detailed records on each chick. I'm not sure if she bands ALL of her babies but my two were DNA'd and banded. I saved the little bands that the vet cut off....they're in little baggies, with the feathers from their first clip that Ruby gave them the day I brought them home. Maybe she can give you some additional ideas.

[Rubygem]

In GA we have to keep very accurate records on our birds. We have to have a breeders license, and we have to be inspected yearly by the Department of Agriculture. This is the same thing that most everyone is trying to stop in other States, as the federal goverment is trying to step in and make it law that everyone has to be inspected, and everyone has to band. Personally I don't have a problem with the State laws, but I don't think the federal government should step in...I think it helps us responsible breeders, and weeds out the bad breeders. But this is my personal opinion.

Right now we do not have to band in this state, but I band because I like knowing that if in the future if anyone needs to find information out about my breeding I can be of help. Also it gives the year of the hatch date, so you get an idea how old the bird really is, instead of trying to guess. And you also know which state your bird was hatched...so you can keep fresh bloodlines. I like knowing where my birds come from, and I so enjoy talking with the breeders when I get the chance.

Right now I do have some breeder birds that were not banded...but I told my husband I'm going to start to only buy other birds if they are banded. If they don't have a band then I don't want them in my aviary. I band when I pull the babies to hand feed, so I don't have to deal with the parents not excepting the band...and I have heard of parent birds that will bite the legs off of their babies to get rid of the band...some suggestions I have heard is to smear the parents poop on the bands, and also as Jermy said, color it so that it won't be shinny. I use different color bands for my babies...normally I change the color each year so at a glance I know which year the baby was born - without having to catch them and check every bird in question.

I know all my parent birds with just a look, but when it comes to my babies, it all depends on mutations..if I have three babies with the same mutations from different clutches, it can get confusing...it can get confusing if you have serveral clutches together, before they feather out as well. I breed at least 4-6 pairs at a time, and they normally start laying about the same time, and hatch out about the same time...so keeping the older siblings stright can be a job....so banding makes life a lot easier to id the babies, and when someone wants to pick out a baby to put a deposit down on before weaning, they can check the band to make sure I didn't swap out the baby they bought. And when I DNA a bird, there is no doubt in the buyers mind that they got the right paper work. I have heard of breeders that will take DNA certificates and match it to a bird depending on what a buyer is looking for. I do not agree with such behavior, but it happens.

If there is any doubt where I stand with banding I'm all for it...LOL

Rubygem

[Rubygem]

The only thing that worries me is keeping an accurate record. I'm getting a record book to track all the clutches in. Without bands, how do you all keep them straight? Say someone picks out a specific lovebird but there are two that look alike? How do you tell them apart without band numbers?

I use bird traker to keep up with my flocks, and I have a hard copy - but like I said we have to keep track of every bird, and we have to record who buys the birds, and where they are. If we bring a bird into the state, we have to call the department of agriculture and get a special permit number for that bird.

a friend of my doesn't band, but she will use some kind of marker paint and she uses different colors to keep the babies stright. I saw one of the babies she marked on the top of the head..and I was wondering what in the world is wrong with this bird...I ain't never seen this mutation but the marker doesn't just come out...it normally comes out when the baby molts. :eek:

Rubygem

[linda040899]

Ruby,
FL isn't quite that strict yet...... However, by state law, I'm also open to state inspection but the department of fish and wildlife can inspect whenever they choose. It can be once/yr, twice/yr or more. It can also be no times/yr. I'm OK with state laws but I, too, have a problem when the federal government wants to get involved. Invariably, it turns into a way to make money for them and their deciions are often made without taking into consideration those that the law will affect.

I use a simple Excel workbook to track my aviary. If I want to know something about a particular bird, I read the band number and check the information I have in my book. I keep it on my computer, on a floppy disk and in hard copy form.

[MaraJade]

so I think what I'm hearing is there is no good way to track them without bands and that you all band right?

It's too late for this clutch. I"d have to put open bands on and I'm not doing that due to the danger. I guess next time we'll have to try harder to keep the bands on. Thanks!

[Sparkette65]

I purchased my bands and I ordered them in an orange color,,,,doesn't really look orange to me,,,looks more like burnt orange or a orangiebrown color....
what do you think,,,,will the mother try to remove it from the baby?
Of course im going to try to band them. I know that in RI, in order to sell lovebirds, they have to be banded. In MA they do not require it. and were right next door to each other.
I dont think putting a band on the lovie will insure that you can keep track of the bird anyway....maybe the owner of the banded bird can track down the breeder it came from, but the other way around....I just cant wrap myself around how to do it, wouldn't even know where to begin to look.
If you should lose a bird, and make public the band # and that if your bird is found...then I can see the band makeing a difference.
Anyone....if you can explaine further how this all works....would be much appreciated.
thanks again,
Lori