Don’t waste your money on cheap stainless steel wing bands!

See why National Band & Tag’s weldable stainless steel wing bands (Style 890-4SS) are a higher-quality band than the competition:

MATERIAL: Our material is thicker, thus guaranteeing a more robust weld and stronger wing band. The material of our competition is very thin, making the wing bands fragile and breakable.

STAMPING: NB&T’s stamping is permanent. The marking on our competition’s bands can be easily erased by scratching it, thus completely losing the ID number.

SIZE: The shape of the wing band from the competition does not allow the growth of the bird’s wings, which can cause problems. Ours is longer, allowing it to grow with the bird.

LOGOS: We keep records of all custom stamped logos to guarantee that they are not duplicated.

WELDING: We sell the spot welder to go with our weldable wing bands.

We have been producing wing bands since 1902. Our years of experience and happy customers is the proof that our product is superior. Don’t be fooled by cheap alternatives! Contact us at [email protected] or 859-261-2035 to get a free price quote.

Stamped Logos for Wing Bands

Interested in personalizing your wing bands even more with a stamped logo? Below are a few examples from customers of a custom made steel logo, used to stamp the image into wing bands. There is a one time charge of $200-$500 (or more depending on the detail) to have your stamp block made. We retain the logo for future orders. Logos will last for a very long time when stamping aluminum. However, stainless steel will degrade the life of the logo image, so the logo may need to be replaced over time.


star stamp

The 4 star logos above are available to anyone at no additional fee.
Shown on green aluminum with white paint fill (paint fill is an additional fee).

To get a quote for your custom made logo stamp block, we will need a copy of your logo.

Helpful Hints for submitting your logo artwork.

  • Black and white line art
  • PDF or EPS file type
  • Artwork should scalable (vector file) and as close to actual size as possible
  • Bold lettering is okay if you are NOT getting Paint Fill
  • Outlined lettering is suggested if you ARE getting Paint Fill

Email your artwork to [email protected] to get a free price quote.

Wing Band Comparison Chart

Use the chart below to compare National Band & Tag’s most popular wing band styles to find the right style for you. For additional help, call us at 859-261-2035 and one of our customer service representatives will assist you.

898 Tab End

2d barcoded wing bands

890 Zip

892-3 Zip

893 Jiffy

Material .020″ Aluminum (Colored Only) .025″ Aluminum (Plain or Colored) .025″ Aluminum (Plain or Colored) .025″ Aluminum (Plain or Colored) or Brass
Applicator None 890S 890S 893S
Eyelets None Colored or Stainless Steel None None
Pricing
(Tag price only. Additional fees may apply. 2021 pricing)
Lowest 2nd Lowest Highest Lowest
Stamping Limits (Max limit without an extensive setup fee) 2 lines / 10 characters each line 2 lines / 10 characters each line 2 lines / 10 characters each line 2 lines / 8 characters each line
Sealing Method Bend tab over. (Not tamper resistant) Eyelet seals (Tamper-resistant) Tube seals forming its own eyelet (Tamper-resistant) Self-piercing (Not tamper-resistant)
Sizes Available
(See individual pages for exact measurements)
4 sizes
(-2.75, -3, -3.5, -4)
3 sizes
(-2.75, -3 -4)
1 size 1 size
Barcodes Laser Etched: Yes (-2.75 and -3)

Fusion: Yes (-3 only)

Fusion: Yes (-2.75 only) Fusion: Yes None

Wing Bands and Leg Bands for Peafowl

Whether you’re a peafowl farmer, or just raising some peacocks for pets, NB&T is here to help with all your peafowl identification needs. Numbered bands are helpful for tracking breeding birds, chicks from different bloodlines, and other important information.

Leg Bands for Peafowl

Both aluminum and plastic leg bands are a great option for those who want a temporary form of identification because they are removable. Some customers prefer leg bands over wing bands because they don’t want to pierce the wing with a wing band. If you plan on leg banding peachicks, you will need to order multiple sizes and change out the bands as the peafowl grow. Below are two videos on how to band peafowl with National Band & Tag’s plastic and aluminum leg bands.

Banding adult peacocks with an aluminum butt-end band: (Video Credit: Mr. Peacock)


Style 1242 -22 leg band is recommended for adult peahen. Style 1242 -24 leg band is recommended for adult peacocks. (Please note that National Band & Tag is not responsible for the incorrect leg band size being ordered. Measuring your bird’s leg is the best way to find the correct size leg band. Learn more on how to measure a bird’s leg here.)

 

Banding peachicks with plastic spirals (no numbering) and plastic bandettes (numbering 1-200): (Video Credit: Mr. Peacock)

 

Wing Bands for Peafowl

If you want wing bands for your peafowl instead of leg bands, the Jiffy wing bands in brass (style 893B) are a very popular option. The aluminum Jiffys (style 893) work for peafowl as well. Wing bands are a great option because you can band the peachick, and the wing band will grow with them to adulthood.

 

To receive a price quote for peafowl identification, email us at [email protected] or call us at 859-261-2035.

National Poultry Day

March 19th is National Poultry Day! It’s a day when we recognize domesticated birds that are raised for meat or eggs. “Poultry” includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quail, pheasants, guineafowl, squab, and other domesticated birds.

National Band & Tag manufactures a variety of products for poultry identification such as wing bands, leg bands, and clip-on blinders. We started out selling wing bands and leg bands for chickens back in 1902. To celebrate National Poultry Day, we are recognizing chickens by creating a side by side history timeline of chickens, NB&T, and how the industry grew in the 1900s.

History of Chickens, the Broiler Industry, and National Band & Tag in the 1900s

(Click the pictures below to make them larger.)

National Poultry Day - Chicken Timeline from 1900s

National Poultry Day - History of Chickens

 

 

Chickens & The Broiler Industry History:

1800s – 1900s:  Chickens are mostly owned by backyard farmers who use them for eggs. They are considered a delicacy, usually only eaten for holidays, special occasions, or when they are no longer producing eggs. By the beginning of the 1900s, a few entrepreneurs start selling young chickens in the summers for meat as a side business for their family farms.

1916: Pedigree chicken breeding starts. Founded when Robert C. Cobb Senior purchased a farm in Littleton, MA, forming Cobb’s Pedigreed Chicks.

1920s: Vitamin D was discovered in the early 1920s, which led to a revolution in poultry keeping. Hens could now survive through the winter months with Vitamin D supplements and go on to produce healthier chicks in the spring. Now that they can be raised indoors, people start building designated chicken coops. This all helped reduce the high mortality rate of chickens.

1923: Cecile Steele is the pioneer of the commercial broiler industry. Steele ordered 50 chicks for egg production; by mistake, she received 500 chicks. Instead of returning them, she saw an opportunity. She waited until the chickens reached 2 pounds live weight and sold them for a profit at 62 cents a pound. She increased her numbers in 1924 to 1,000 chicks, 10,000 in 1926, and 26,000 in 1928.

1939-1945: WW2 creates a ration on beef, pork, and lamb. People are encouraged to raise and eat more chicken. By the end of the war, Americans are eating 3 times more chicken than they were before the war.

1942: The government approves a new form of cleaning and packing ready-to-cook whole chickens in ice in wooden crates.

1948: Post war, “Chicken of Tomorrow” contest encourages breeders to create bigger, better broilers. Arbor Acres White Rocks’ white-feathered birds beat out the higher-performing Red Cornish crosses from the Vantress Hatchery. These two breeds would eventually be crossed and become the Arbor Acre breed whose genetics now dominate poultry farms worldwide today.

1950: Broilers are now the #1 source of poultry meat. Almost all Americans now have a modern, bottom cooling refrigerator, which has set a new standard of food storage and food safety

1952: The commercial broiler industry begins its economic boom. Specially bred meat chickens (“broilers”) surpass farm chickens as the number one source of chicken meat in the United States.

1970s: The broiler industry focuses on nutritional discoveries, disease eradication programs, and genetic improvements.

1980s: Consumers are starting to prefer cut-up and further-processed chickens to the traditional whole bird. Chicken surpasses pork consumption in 1985.

1990s: Chicken becomes the top-selling meat, surpassing beef. The movement towards natural, organic birds and eggs begins with more attention towards animal welfare.

 

National Band & Tag History:

1902: Joseph Haas starts to manufacture poultry leg and wing bands. He had been informed that breeders were improving their flocks, and it was necessary to distinguish one fowl from another. Visualizing the possibilities of a new industry, Haas went to work designing a few patterns of bands. Crude at first, they improved with recommendations from customers and experimental projects. He continued to make improvements until he came up with bands that worked. Ads were placed in poultry magazines, and although he had no competition, orders were slow.

1914: National Band & Tag makes its first move from a small barn to a garage, still in Newport, KY. NB&T now employs 3 people, one being Haas’s youngest son who was 11 years old.

1926: Business takes off for National Band & Tag! With the start of the broiler industry, more and more people are now raising chickens. The business moves from the garage to a building on Orchard St. in Newport, KY. Haas’s eldest son joins the business, and NB&T now employs 10 people.

1939: National Band & Tag invents Anti-Pix Chicken Glasses to help stop cannibalism in flocks. A year later in 1940, the “Jiffy” wing band is invented as an alternative to the “Zip” wing band.

1952: Now shipping worldwide, and profiting from the broiler industries’ economic boom, NB&T relocates from Orchard St. to a larger building on York St., Newport KY, which is where it still is today.

1957: C-LESS peepers are invented using aluminum to replace the chicken glasses

1968: The new “Tab End” wing band is invented. NB&T now employs 50 people.

1980s: National Band & Tag now has 3rd and 4th generation family members working together. NB&T continues to purchase surrounding land to expand the building.

1990s: NB&T celebrates 90 years of business in 1992.

 

Stainless Steel Eyelets For Zip Wing Bands

National Band & Tag is proud to present our newest upgrade for Zip 890 wing bands, Stainless Steel Eyelets (Style # 890 ESS)!  These new eyelets are more durable than the old aluminum eyelets because this material cannot be easily manipulated. Stainless steel is much harder than aluminum, so if someone tries to remove the eyelet, they won’t be able to without destroying the wing band. This makes the Zip wing band with Stainless Steel Eyelets a truly tamper-resistant wing band. These new eyelets are able to go on the Zip wing bands,  styles 890-2.75, 890-3 or 890-4.

890 ESS stainless steel eyelets on aluminum zip 890-3 wing bands for chickens

To seal the Stainless Steel Eyelets properly, you will need the new Heavy Duty Applicator (Style # 890S HD). This applicator makes sealing the bands easier because it is bigger and provides more leverage. The new applicator (shown below with red handles) is 8-1/4” long with a thicker head. The old applicator is 7-1/4” long with a thinner head (shown below with green handle).

890 ESS stainless steel eyelets for wing bands

Click Here for pricing and more information on Stainless Steel Eyelets.

How-To: Spot Weld a Stainless Steel Wing Band

The Stainless-Steel Wing Bands (Style 890-4SS) or Aluminum Wing Bands (Style 890-4AL) can easily be spot welded shut with a small spot welding machine. Below is a video showing how to spot weld your metal wing bands. Spot welding your wing bands shut helps to provide a tamper-resistant seal so that the band cannot be taken off and used again.

 

Spot Welder Price – $230 each

Contact us for more information.

Gold Colored Wing Bands and Leg Bands

Treat your birds like royalty with gold colored leg bands and wing bands! Gold and orange aluminum, and brass, all look like gold! Below are all the options of leg and wing bands available in gold colors. Click which style you would like for more information and pricing.

Atlas Seal 305A & 305AL Adjustable Leg Bands (Anodized)

gold aluminum leg band

Gold Aluminum

orange aluminum leg band

Orange Aluminum

Atlas Seal 305ABR Adjustable Leg Band

brass leg band

Brass

Butt-End 1242 Leg Band

gold aluminum bird leg band

Gold Aluminum

Jiffy 893B Wing Band

brass wing band

Brass

Gold and Neon Green material for Wing Band Styles Zip 890, Jiffy 893, and Zip 892

gold wing bands

Gold Aluminum

Do you want your Wing Bands to stand out?

The sophisticated style 892-3 wing band with the integrated rivet is an excellent choice, with fusion marking for optimum contrast and a stylish finish.

These are the following options you have:

  1. Numbering on one side and one line of text on the other.
    (Minimum purchase: 500 bands)

fusion orange wing band fusion orange wing band fusion orange wing band

2. Numbering on one side and two lines of text on the other.
(Minimum purchase: 500 bands)

fusion pink wing band3. Numbering on one side and bar code on the other. (Bar code can be 2D as well and read by an App on your Smartphone). (Minimum purchase: 1000 bands)

fusion green wing band fusion white wing band4. Numbering and a line of text on one side and bar code on the other.
(Minimum purchase 1000 units)

fusion blue wing band

 

Why use leg and wing bands to identify your poultry?

For chickens, ducks, quail, pheasants, peafowl, turkeys, and more, the correct type of id band can make all the difference when it comes time to sell or breed your birds. Identification is helpful for multiple reasons including, but not limited to:

  • Keeping track of the number of birds you have
  • Helping lost or stolen birds are returned to the proper owner
  • Tracking pedigree
  • Tracing generations
  • Recording when birds were born and keeping track of the ages of your flock
  • Meeting requirements for shows/competitions
  • Tracking migration patterns
  • And more!

There are multiple types of identification such as wing bands and leg bands available to meet your needs, from color-coding, blank bands, custom stamped bands, numbered bands, stamped sequential numbering or even laser etched barcodes.

Wing Bands

Wing Bands

brass Leg Bands

Leg Bands

For example, you could use a different color every year to track age, barcodes to track pedigree, or sequential numbering to track the number of birds you have. 

Not sure where to get started? Learn more about What Type of Poultry Identification Is Best for You

What type of poultry identification is best for you?

Wing Bands
Wing bands are a permanent type of identification with a high retention rate that will stay with the chick for life and grow with it. Wing bands will not bother the bird and may be covered with feathers when they are older, making it more difficult to read. Wing bands are usually put on chicks, anywhere from a day old to a few weeks, but can also be put on adult birds.

Learn more about: Which Wing Band is Best for You

wingbands

Leg Bands
Leg bands are aluminum or plastic band that wrap around a bird’s leg and must be fitted to their leg size. Leg bands are more commonly used on fully grown birds, but when used on a young bird, the band must be constantly changed as the bird’s leg grows. Leg bands can be a temporary source of identification or a permanent one. Plastic leg bands will fall off easier than metal ones due to the bird pecking at it or excess exposure to weather. Leg bands are the best option for those who do not wish to pierce the skin with a wing band or toe punch.

Learn more about: Which Leg Band is Best for You

leg band varieties

***Try a combination of leg bands and wing bands for guaranteed identification***

Peepers / Blinders
Plastic Peepers and Blinders are used to stop cannibalism amongst birds, such as chickens and pheasants, by hiding other birds from view. These are considered the modern version of chicken glasses. Some people will only use Peepers on birds that cause problems, while others will use them on their whole flock as a preventive measure. Try using different colors to track different ages or flocks of birds.

blinders for chickens

Toe Punches
Toe Punches can be used to mark the webbing between the toes of baby chicks. This option works for those who don’t need colors or numbers to achieve their ID goals. Toe Punches create a small 2mm hole in the webbing, and there is a total of 16 different markings possible (one hole, two holes, left foot, right foot, etc.). Toe punches can also be used to pre-punch a hole in the wing webbing for wing bands.

toe punches

Other Poultry Identification Options:
Neck Tags – Plastic tags that can be hung by the neck of a baby chick.

Wing Badges – Large plastic badge that attaches to the wing and has large visible numbers.

Bird Bits – Plated steel or plastic bits that are placed in the bird’s nostrils to help stop pecking. Special/deep feeders are needed so the birds may continue to eat.

 

Click Here to View All National Band & Tag’s Poultry ID Products!

Which wing band is best for you?

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

New Weldable Stainless Steel Wing Bands

weldable wing bandsIntroducing National Band & Tag’s newest product to the wing band line – Weldable Stainless Steel and Aluminum Zip Wing Bands! The edges of these bands can be welded together using a spot welder to create a completely tamper-resistant wing band.

Available stamped with logos, dates, names, consecutive numbers, and more!

Style 890-4SS for Stainless Steel

Style 890-4AL for Aluminum

Dimensions: 1 13/40” x 7/8”

 

weldable wing band on bird

Colored Eyelets for Wing Bands

Trying to decide between the 890-3 and the 892-3?  The 890 has a separate eyelet piece, whereas, the 892 has a drawn tube of metal that forms the “eyelet”. They are the same size and use the same 890S applicator. Both are tamper-evident.

890 vs 892 wing bands

Another difference is that the 890-3 can be made more unique looking by adding different colored eyelets. Eyelets are usually a plain (silver) color, but they can be made in red, blue, green, yellow or orange! Colored eyelets have a 2,000 per color minimum.

colored eyelets

yellow band green eyelet

Which Zip wing band do you prefer?

NEW 898-3 Fusion 2D Barcoded Wing Bands

tab end wingbands barcoded

At National Band & Tag, our poultry business started with backyard birds in the early 1900s. When neighbors squabbled about who’s birds were who’s, Joseph Haas found a solution in creating different colored poultry leg bands and wing bands. This has evolved a great deal over the years, from adding numbering, to custom stamping of names and farms, to our current offerings that include barcodes, fusion ink, and tamper-resistant seals. Keep reading for more detail on the exciting options we offer in poultry bands today!

Tab End 898-3: A pre-formed band that’s fast and secure. This wing band can be applied completely by hand, no applicator required! Approximate dimension when closed 3/16” height x 5/8” length.

Fusion: “Fusion Marked” characters utilize permanent ink for an easy to read, black, contrasting barcode and number. The fusion process on the Tab End and Zip have a 500 band minimum. Tags are available in White, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Pink, Brown, and Light Gray.

2D Data Matrix Barcode: The data matrix is superior to the linear barcode for multiple reasons:

  • It can contain up to 2,335 alphanumeric characters, while a linear barcode can contain up to 5 or 6 alphanumeric characters.
  • Data matrixes are great for encoding large amounts of information on a small amount of space, such as a wing band.
  • It is the most secure barcode there is, data cannot be changed or altered once the barcode is created.
  • A 2D data matrix can be scanned with a smart phone or 2D scanner.

Complete number sequences – No duplicate numbers – No missing numbers – Guaranteed!

 

 

Poultry Wing Bands

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Are you in need of wing bands for your chickens or roosters? Look no further! We offer a variety of wing bands to meet everyone’s needs from breeding, to research, to game birds and more. Whether you need sequential numbering, your company’s name or a barcode, we can accommodate almost any identification need.

To help you decide which wing band is best for you, view the comparison chart below.

National Band & Tag Wing Band Feature Comparison Chart
Wing Band / Features Tamper Resistant Available Bar coded Materials Applicator Fusion Colors Available Other Features
Tab End Style 898 No Yes Aluminum No Yes 4 different sizes available. Fast and easy to apply.
Zip

Style 890

Yes Yes Aluminum Yes

(Style 890s)

Yes 3 different sizes available. Colored eyelets.
 Zip

Style 892

Yes No Aluminum Yes

(Style 890s)

Yes Drawn tube that is similar to an eyelet
Jiffy

Style 893

No No Aluminum, Brass, Monel Yes

(Style 893s)

Yes Self-piercing

 

Wing Band News:nino-tags

  • The Zip 892 use to have a 1,000 band minimum, it has now been lowered to 100 band minimum.
  • Ñ ñ letters are now available for stamping.
  • All wing bands are now available in fusion colors.
  • Free samples available – call today!

The Zip 890 is one of our most popular wing band styles.

Share below what your favorite wing band is!