Whats banding, and whys that a good thing?
Banding is a process done when the chicks are about ten days old. A small closed metal band is slid onto the baby bird’s left leg. The leg band contains the breeder’s identification code, the number of the baby, the year it was born, and what society (if any) issued the band. Bands are good because they are traceable. That means, if for some reason your bird escaped and got lost (accidents happen!) the bird could be traced back to you, and you have a much better chance of getting your bird back. The bands are also good because then you know how old the bird is. The bands for the next year are issued only a few days before the year starts, so no one can “fool you.” Bands are also good for people who show birds. I try to get bands on all my birds, but sometimes the foot is just too big or the band falls off and becomes lost. Leg bands can only be removed by a veterinarian with a bird band cutter.
