How closed rings work
Closed rings are ordered from your club or federation, usually per year. Each ring carries a code for the federation, the year, your breeder number and a serial number, and each species has its prescribed ring size. Too small and it will not go on; too big and it can slip off or catch on something.
A chick can only be ringed within a short window after hatching; how many days depends on the species. Once that window has passed, a closed ring no longer fits over the foot.
Keeping a ring register
A good ring register answers three questions at any moment: which rings are still in stock, which ring went on which bird, and which chicks are due to be ringed. On paper that means keeping the order slip, the season's notes and the bird list in step by hand.
Ring management in Newbred
In Newbred you register each ring batch with its federation, country, year, ring size, breeder number and serial range. When you ring a chick, you pick the batch: the next free serial and the ring size are filled in and the full ring number is composed for you. A serial outside the range or already in use is refused, so one ring can never end up on two birds.
Because every species carries its ringing age, your dashboard counts the chicks that are past it and still have no ring. Ring management is included from the Hobby Breeder plan.
Frequently asked questions
Which ring size does my species need?
Your federation publishes the prescribed sizes. The species catalogue in Newbred includes a ring size and ringing age for common species, and you can adjust them to your federation's list.
Can I also record open rings or rings from another breeder?
Yes. The ring number of a bird is free text, so a bird with an open ring or a ring from another breeder is recorded just as well.