Which wing band is best for you?

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Start by figuring out what your identification goal is, and what your wing band will need to be able to do to achieve this goal. All wing bands can be stamped, but if you want a barcode your style options are more limited.

Wing Band Stamping, Laser Etching, and Fusion Options
Wing Band Style # Stamped Laser Etched Characters Laser Etched Barcodes Fusion Markings (Characters, Barcodes)
Zip 890-2.75 Yes Yes No Yes
Zip 890-3 Yes Yes No No
Zip 890-4 Yes Yes No No
Jiffy 893 & 893B Yes No No No
Tab End 898-2.75 Yes Yes Yes No
Tab End 898-3 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tab End 898-4 Yes Yes Yes No
Zip 892-3 Yes No No Yes
Atlas Seal 8906-2 & 8906-2.5 Yes No No No
Self-Piercing 681A Yes Yes Yes No

Stamping (with and without Paint Fill)
Stamping will last and stay readable

wing band stamping

Laser Etched Characters
Etching may wear off bands after a few months depending on the use

wing band laser

Fusion Marked
Fusion marking will last the longest and stay vibrant and visible

wing band fusion

***Barcodes will require a scanner, scanners are available for purchase or sample bands are available to test with your own scanners.

 

Zip Wing Band

  • zip wing bandStyle 890-2.75, 890-3, 890-4
  • The Zip is our most popular wing band. It is pre-formed with a rivet that makes the band tamper-resistant when sealed with our applicator.
  • The Zip comes in several colors and can have colored eyelets for easy color-coded identification.

Jiffy Wing Band

  • jiffy wing bandStyle 893 (Aluminum) and Style 893B (Brass)
  • The Jiffy is designed as a one-step application with its self-piercing design and reinforced piercing point.
  • The Jiffy is a popular style for those new to wing banding because of its easy to use, self-piercing feature.
  • It is the only wing band available in a brass material.

Other Wing Band Styles

  • Tab End Style 898-2.75, 898-3, and 898-4tab end wing band
    • Does not require an applicator, can be closed by hand.
    • Popular for breeders and broiler chickens.
  • Zip Style 892-3892-3 wing band
    • Is pre-formed with a drawn tube to create a tamper-resistant seal when sealed with our applicator
  • Atlas Seal Style 8906-2 and 8906-2.5atlas seal wing band
    • Is narrow with a pointed end
  • Self-Piercing Style 681A681 wing band
    • A wing band for large birds such as turkeys. Also, used as an ear tag for smaller livestock animals. Aluminum is recommended for birds.

Wing Banding Size Guide

  • Size 3 wing bands are our most popular size wing bands because they fit on most birds. Size 2.5 and 2.75 may be used for smaller species, and Size 4 can be used on larger species. They may look too large on a chick, but the chick will grow into it and it won’t bother them as an adult.

Now that you’ve picked out your wing band style, view our blog on How-To Apply your Wing Band!

wingband on a chicken

wingband on a chicken

wingband on a chicken

Which Leg Band is Best for You?

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Which Leg Band is best for you?

The first step to finding the right leg band for your needs is to determine what size you will need. Sizes are based on the inside diameter of the band. Not all leg band styles are available in all sizes.

Size Guide

Leg Band Size Guidance Chat

This chart should be used as a guide only. The most accurate way to find the correct leg band size is to measure your bird’s leg. We are not responsible for incorrect sizes being ordered based on this chart.
Inside Diameter of Band Breed of Poultry, Small Birds, Gamebirds, Etc.
3/32” Sparrows, Swallows, Warblers, Goldfinch, House Wrens
1/8” Canaries, Chickadees, Quail (1 day – 2wks), Evening Grosbeak, Titmouse
5/32” Quail (2 wks – 4wks), Canaries (Yorkshire & larger breeds), Parakeets, Love Birds, Budgerigar
3/16” Doves, Pheasant Poults (1 day – 5 wks), Cockatiels, California Valley Quail, Mexican Quail (adults).
7/32” Quail (4 wks – average adult), Mississippi Quail, Massachusetts Quail, Bobwhite Quail.
¼” Baby Chicks, Small pigeons (squabs, Archangels, Nuns, Tipplers, Rollers, Turbets, Fantails) Doves, growing Pheasants (4 – 8 wks), Quail (adult Northern or Southern extra-large birds)
5/16” Wild Ducks (1 day – 6wks), Medium Pigeons, Wild Geese (1 day – 6wks), Woodduck, Pheasant females, (golden & fancy breeds, adults), Blue Winged Teal, Hungarian Partridge
3/8” Growing Chicks, Large Pigeons (Show Homers, English Carriers, Carneaux, English Pouters, Hungarian Kings, White Kings, Mondaines, Feather Legged Toys); adult Ringneck Pheasants, Wild Ducks (6 weeks to adult), Wild Geese (4-10 weeks), Woodducks, Ruffed Grouse (female); Chukar Partridge, Gadwall Ducks, Pintail Ducks, Prairie Chickens, Chinese Pheasants.
7/16” Bantams, Largest Pigeons (Giant Runts, Crosses, Tiger Swallows, Runt Crosses, Trumpeters, Bantams), Pheasants (males all breeds), Wild Ducks (mallards, adults – all breeds), Sage Grouse (female) Peacock Pheasants, Ringneck Pheasants, Mallard Ducks, Baldpate & Pintail Ducks, Ruffed Grouse (male).
½” Grouse, Geese (6-12 wks.), Wild Ducks, English Call Ducks, Ringneck Pheasants (male)
9/6” Leghorns Hens, Ancona, Silkie, Gamebirds
5/8” Minorcas, Wyandottes, Crossbreeds
11/16” Leghorn (Cocks), Rocks, Reds
¾” Orpingtons, Canadian Geese (small race), Wild Geese, Wild Turkeys
13/16” Brahmas, Langshans, Large Ducks
7/8” Turkeys, Hens, Large Male Chickens, Geese, Wild Turkeys, Canadian Geese (large race, Honkers)
1” Turkey Toms

 

Butt-End Leg Bands

  • Style 1242
  • These aluminum leg bands are available in multiple colors and are one of our most popular styles of leg bands. Sizes are available to fit almost any species of bird all the way from a hummingbird up to a swan. The applicator is required for opening and closing the leg bands (exception size 24 and up – you can use slip joint pliers)
  • New – 1242-22S has been made in a shorter height for roosters.
  • Federal band sizes and hard metal Butt-End Bands are available for those who require it.

leg bands

Adjustable Leg Bands

  • Atlas Seal Style 305A & 305AL (Aluminum) and 305ABR (Brass)
    • Our most popular permanent sealed leg band, can be adjusted before closing to three different sizes.
  • Other adjustable leg bands are available for small species such as quail. Click the Adjustable Leg Band link above to view the styles available.

adjustable leg bands

Plastic Leg Bands

  • Spirals (Styles 2104 – 2116) and Bandettes (Styles 905-914)
  • Both are made from a plastic material and they will coil around the leg.
  • Bandettes are available numbered,
    Sizes 7, 9, 11, 12: Numbering from 1 to 200
    Sizes 5, 6, 14: Numbering from 1 to 100

plastic leg bands

Other Leg Band Styles

  • Lock-On Bands
    • Aluminum lock-on bands have a tab that folds over and can be sealed using pliers.
    • These bands are usually used for birds of prey such as vultures, bald eagles, and raptors.

lock on band

  • Rivet Bands
    • Use pop rivets and a pop rivet gun to seal the rivet band around the bird’s leg
    • These bands are usually used for birds of prey such as vultures, bald eagles, and raptors.

rivet band

  • Non-Adjustable Leg Bands
    • Thin metal bands that cannot be adjusted to a different size 

non adjustable leg band

Now that you’ve picked out your leg band style, view our blog on How-To: Apply your Leg Band!

bandetter plastic band

banding a bird

banding a bird

 

How-To: Apply Peepers/Blinders

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Tagging Hints: For best results, warm the blinders before applying, either soak in hot water or layout in the sun.

Peepers can be applied by hand – OR – use a Snap Ring Plier. Take an external plier with angled tips – place tips into blinder behind pins and spread apart. Line up pins with nostrils and release plier.

blinder application

rooster with blinders

rooster with clip on blinders

chicken with blinders

Check out our helpful YouTube video for applying Peepers:

How-To: Open and Close Leg Bands

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How to Apply Metal Leg Bands:

  1. Place the opened band around the bird’s leg.
  2. While using the correct size applicator, make sure to fit the band into the lower hole of the applicator.
  3. Squeeze the applicator shut to correctly seal the band. (If the band does not shut all the way on the first time, rotate the band in the applicator and squeeze the applicator again. Continue rotating the band and squeezing the applicator until it is completely shut.)
  4. Check to make sure the band is properly sealed before releasing the bird.

how to band a bird

How to Apply Plastic Leg Bands: Unroll the coil and then place it around the leg. It will re-coil once you let go.

Remember, practice makes perfect! After banding a couple of birds, you will get used to banding and find the right holding technique for you!

Check out some of these other helpful guides and videos for putting a leg band on, made by customers and end-users:

 

How-To: Apply a Wing Band

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Wing bands can go on baby chicks or adult chickens, it is easier to do while they are chicks because you can hold them, and there are less feathers in the way.

chicken wing diagram

When inserting the band, you should aim for the center of the “V”, just barely below the web cord.

Zip Wing Band (Style 890/892) Tagging Hints: After the band is inserted through the wing, flip the band around, and with thumb and forefinger, close the band until the eyelet is inserted into the hole. Seal the eyelet with the applicator.

Jiffy Wing Band (Style 893/893B) Tagging Hints: The Jiffy is designed as a one-step application. Insert the band in the applicator first. Line up the “bubble” on the band with the recess in the applicator. Make sure the “bubble” side of the band is flat against the jaw of the applicator.

Tab End Wing Band (Style 898) Tagging Hints: Push band through the web of wing directly at the elbow joint, being careful not to puncture flesh or tear the tendon at the leading edge of the wing. After the band is inserted through the wing, with thumb and forefinger, close the band until the tab is inserted through the hole. Now bend the tab and point down.

Pre-Punching a Hole:  For the Zips and Tab Ends, some people find that pre-punching a hole using our Compound Toe Punch Style 1539 makes inserting the wing band easier. The Jiffy is self-piercing and does not require a pre-made hole.

Step-by-Step instructions on banding a baby chick with pictures:

how to band a day old chick

Diamond K Research, Case Farms and NB&T Wing Banding Instruction Video:

Check out some of these other helpful guides and videos for putting a wing band on, made by customers and end-users:

Kentucky Proud

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ky proudDid you know that National Band & Tag is a member of the Kentucky Proud program? As a family owned manufacturer that has been in Northern Kentucky for almost 115 years, we are proud to be a Kentucky business.

“Kentucky Proud stands for foods, nursery items, crafts, agri-tourism sites, farmers’ markets, state parks, and many other products and destinations with roots in Kentucky soil. Kentucky Proud foods are raised, grown, or processed in Kentucky by Kentuckians. You can serve Kentucky Proud foods to your family with the confidence that they came from your friends and neighbors just down the road — not from thousands of miles away.”

Are you identifying your Kentucky livestock and products with Kentucky made tags?

 

ky proud certificate

Learn more about the Kentucky Proud program at: http://www.kyproud.com

Marcaje de tortugas marinas

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Marcaje de tortugas marinas¡Se acerca la estación de marcaje! ¿Ya su organización ordenó las marcas para las tortugas? Recomendamos nuestro estilo 681IC fabricadas con Inconel, que es una aleación de metales que resiste años en el agua de mar. Esta placa es puntiaguda, lo cual permite traspasar la dura piel de las aletas, sin necesidad de hacer una incisión previa. Estas placas pueden estamparse hasta con tres líneas de texto y numeradas con hasta 6 dígitos consecutivos.

¿No está seguro de como marcar tortugas? Las siguientes guías son proporcionadas por www.seaturtle.org:

¿Donde debería colocar la placa?

Tortugas de Caparazón duro: La mayoría de las personas colocan la marca en el borde interno de las aletas delanteras. Para minimizar la posibilidad de pérdida de marcas, deberían colocarse próxima a  la axila. Hay una escama gruesa en la cara interna de la aleta delantera, adyacente a la axila. Regularmente se coloca la placa a través de esta escama gruesa o en la zona adyacente a ella. En el caso de tortugas grandes, esta escama suele ser excesivamente gruesa, por lo que se recomienda colocarla adyacente a la misma. La mejor posición de la marca dependerá de la especie, la localidad geográfica y del el criterio de quién realice el marcaje.

Ocasionalmente se colocan las marcas en la cara interna de la aleta trasera. Esto se hace por dos razones: para minimizar la posibilidad de que las placas se enreden en las redes de pesca y para maximizar la permanencia de la placa. Estas son consideraciones importantes, sin embargo, las placas traseras son mas difíciles de ver, particularmente cuando se monitorean las hembras anidando. Si usted decide colocar las placas en las aletas traseras, haga pública su decisión de manera que los observadores estén al tanto y revisen las las aletas traseras tambien.

Tortugas Laúd: Debido a que los bordes de las aletas delanteras de estas tortugas son facilmente rasgados, la mayoría de las personas no colocan estas placas allí para individuos de esta especie. En cambio las marcas se colocan en la piel entre la cola y la aleta trasera.

Independientmente de la especie de tortuga que se esté marcando, deje siempre espacio entre el borde interno de la placa y el borde de la aleta para permitir el crecimiento. Se recomienda que este espacio sea de entre 15y 30% de la longitud total de la placa cerrada.

Aqui hay algunas fotos de tortugas marcadas que nuestros clientes nos han enviado. Si usted quisiera enviarnos alguna, puede enviarlas aqui.

Marcaje de tortugas marinas Marcaje de tortugas marinas Marcaje de tortugas marinas Marcaje de tortugas marinas Marcaje de tortugas marinas

Sea Turtle Flipper Tags

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sea turtle tag on the flipperIt’s almost turtle tagging season! Has your organization ordered their Sea Turtle Flipper Tags yet? We have 2 sizes of sea turtle tags available to choose from. The style 681IC is made from Inconel, and is 3/16″ x 1-15/16″ while the style 691IL is made from Incoloy, and is 3/8″ x 1-7/16″.

Not sure how to tag your turtles? The following tagging guidelines are provided by www.SeaTurtle.org

Where should the flipper tags be placed?

Hard Shelled Turtles: Most people place the tags on the trailing edge of the front flippers. To minimize the chance of tag loss, you should try to place the tag closer rather than further from the axilla (the armpit). There is a thickened scale on the trailing edge of the front flipper, immediately adjacent to the axilla. Most place the tag either through this thickened scale or adjacent to it. In the case of large turtles, the flipper near this scale may be too thick and hence the tag should be applied in the skin adjacent to the scale, either towards the axilla or away from it. The best location will depend on species, geographic location, and who is doing the tagging.

Some place tags on the trailing edges of the rear flippers. This is done for two reasons: to minimize the chances the tags will cause entanglement in nets and to maximize the retention of the tag. These are important considerations. However, tags on the rear flippers are more difficult to see, particularly in the case of nesting female sea turtles. If you decide to place flipper tags on the rear flippers, you should try to maximize the publicity about your choice of tag placement, to ensure that distant observers will also check the rear flippers.

Leatherback sea turtles: Because the trailing edges of the front flippers of leatherbacks are easily torn or ripped, most people do not place tags on the front flippers. Instead, flipper tags are placed in the skin between the tail and the rear flippers.

No matter the species of turtle, always be sure to leave some room (about 15-30% of the length of the closed tag) between the tag and the trailing edge of the flipper to allow for the continued growth of the flipper.

Here are some pictures of tagged turtles provided by NB&T’s customers. If you would like to submit a picture from your organization, you can send us your pictures here.

sea turtle tag 2 sea turtle tag 3 sea turtle tag 4 sea turtle tag 5 sea turtle tag 6

NB&T Acquires Hasco – One Year Anniversary!

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hasco logo  nbt logo
Today, May 9, 2017, is the one year anniversary of our acquisition of Hasco Tag Company. We would like to thank all our old and new customers for your patience through the transition. It has been an exciting year for National Band & Tag, adjusting to the increase of livestock tags, rabies tags and pet license tags.

We have made some changes over the past year to accommodate the increase in customers, so that we may continue to provide quick and accurate customer service:

  • National Band & Tag, along with two of our sales reps became approved to sell Scrapie Ear Tags.
  • Previous Hasco employee Sallie Schmidt consulted NB&T sales reps on Hasco products and accounts for the year before retiring at the end of April.
  • A new sales representative was hired in the rabies tag department.
  • A new computer system is being launched this summer that will allow us to increase our customer service abilities and enter orders faster.
  • A new NB&T catalog is scheduled to come out this summer that will include previous Hasco products and their new NB&T style number.
National Band & Tag’s president, Faye Wendel, states, “This past year has been both exciting and very busy—and we are so grateful for your patience and continued support during this transition. Our employees have worked incredibly hard over the last year and we are so thankful for their dedication. We also feel very blessed to have welcomed several of Hasco’s employees—they have been a huge asset to our team. Of course, we are thankful to have retained the business of hundreds of Hasco customers, and continue to serve our loyal NB&T customers. We appreciate your business and hope to continue fulfilling your identification needs in the future. Thank you, and keep those orders coming!”

 

166 Years of Tags

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National Band & Tag is a family owned business and has been for almost 115 years. We currently have 11 family members from the 4th and 5th generation working at our facility. Combined, our family management team has been working here over 166 years! Our years of innovation, testing, and improving products proves that NB&T is your #1 choice for all your identification needs. Call today for a free quote or to talk with one of our tag specialists about the best identification solution for you.

Meet National Band & Tag’s family management team:

family warehouse 2016 bright web

 

4th Generation

Faye Haas Wendel: President, (Seated 6th) – 36 years
Kevin A. Haas: Vice-President, Laser, R&D (Standing 7th)– 28 years
Fred E. Haas, III: Vice-President, Operations (Standing 1st)– 23 years
Joe D. Haas, Jr.: Vice-President, Purchasing, Treasurer (Standing 11th)– 21 years
Brad C. Haas: Vice-President, Production (Standing 3rd)– 20 years
Sean C. Haas: Vice-President, Logistics, Secretary (Standing 10th)– 14 years
Christine Haas Schwalbach: Sales (Standing 8th)– 12 years

5th Generation

Alan J. Haas (Lan): Vice-President, Safety & Quality Assurance (Standing 2nd) – 5 years
Alex A. Wendel: Vice-President, Information Technology (Standing 5th)– 5 years
Andrea Wendel Tabor (Andi): Graphics & Web Manager (Standing 4th) – 2 years
Ryan P. Haas: Account Manager (Standing 9th) – 9 months