How to Band a Duck's Wings

Leg and wing banding of poultry provides a means of identifying individual birds, much like the use of identification tags on a dog's collar. Poultry owners register the bird's number, and record the type of bird, breed, coloration and the name of the original breeder. These numbers help recover lost or stolen poultry.

Things You'll Need

  • Wing band
  • Wing band applicator
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Instructions

    • 1

      Hold a duckling in one hand. Use your thumb and index finger to gently extend the duckling's wing. Hold the bird's head and body steady with your other fingers.

    • 2

      Hold the wing band with your other hand. Find the elbow joint of the extended wing. Gently push the pointed end of the wing band through the web at the elbow joint. Do not puncture the duckling's flesh, or harm the tendon running along the top edge of the wing.

    • 3

      Pinch the band closed using your fingers.The band's rivet fits into the hole in the pointed end of the band.

    • 4

      Use the band applicator to compress the two ends of the wing band; this snaps the rivet in place. Turn the wing band -- so the rivet is on the underside of the wing -- before releasing the duckling. This prevents the wing band from slipping over the end of the wing and hindering wing development.