The closed ring, a breeding bird's proof of identity
A closed ring is a single-piece band with no opening and no join, fitted during the first days of a bird's life and impossible to remove once the adult leg has formed: that is what makes it proof of captive breeding rather than just a number.
Why it goes on so early
The principle comes down to a mechanical constraint. A closed ring has no slit and no join: it can only be slipped on while the young bird’s leg is still soft enough to let it pass. A few days later, it is too late.
That detail explains everything else. A band that could not have been fitted afterwards, and that cannot be removed without cutting it, cannot have been added to a bird taken from the wild. This is what makes it, for authorities and show judges alike, a presumption of captive breeding.
Past that window, an open ring remains possible, but it does not carry the same weight: it serves as a replacement when a closed ring has been broken, has become unreadable or has been lost.
What changes from one breeder to another
The principle is shared. The rest is not.
The coding of the inscriptions, the body issuing the rings, the species concerned and the records to be kept depend on the country and the federation. A breeder does not read the same number on their birds’ legs depending on whether they ring in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy or elsewhere, and their obligations are not the same either.
There is therefore no universal ring number format. To know what applies where you are, the only source worth relying on is your own federation.
What this changes in AviarySoft
The ring field is deliberately free-form. An application that imposed a format would become unusable the moment it crossed a border. So you enter the number exactly as it is engraved on the band.
Only one piece of information is extracted from it: the ringing year, which is used to filter and sort your birds. Each species can be given its own format, under Configuration then Species, telling the application where to read that year in your numbering. That is the only place where the format matters, and it is set once and for all.
How do I add a bird?
From the Birds page, click the add button. Fill in the species, breed, gender, ring number, status and birth date: these are the mandatory fields. If you only know the birth year, which is common for a bird bought as an adult, switch the field to 'Year only': that is enough. You can also fill in the name, colour, aviary and notes.
Can I add multiple birds at once?
Yes! The bulk add form lets you create several birds at once by setting shared parameters (species, breed, gender…), then customizing each bird individually (ring number, name…). You can also duplicate an existing bird to create a new one pre-filled with the same information.
How do I set a bird's sex after a hatching?
While a bird is of unknown sex, its sheet offers 'Male' and 'Female' as quick actions: one click is enough, without opening the form. This is especially handy after a hatching, when the sex only shows later. The action can be undone for a few seconds, and the sex can then be changed like any other field.
How does the ring number work?
The ring number is the primary identifier for each bird. The field is entirely free: enter it exactly as engraved on the ring, in your own federation's format ('J1234', 'ABS-KJ-24-042', '2345/26', 'AZ 12345 05 001'…). It must be unique per species in your farm, and the app warns you in real time if the number is already taken. Search ignores spaces and punctuation: typing 'A152 24' finds 'A152/24'. Sorting by year does not rely on the ring but on the birth date, which is mandatory. In Configuration then Species, edit a species to find two settings there: automatically end the number with the year, and show the number on the colour of the birth year, as on the actual ring.
What species are available?
AviarySoft offers default species (chicken, duck, goose, pigeon, etc.) but you can create your own species from the settings. Each species has its own configurable breeds and colors.
How do I configure breeds and colors/mutations?
In the configuration, you can add breeds for each species and colors/mutations with a visual color code. These configurations are specific to your account and then appear in forms.
How do I track a bird's origin (purchase, gift, trade…)?
In each bird's record, you can indicate its acquisition source: born on the farm, purchased, gifted, loaned or traded. Depending on the source, additional fields appear: purchase price, seller/donor/lender name, address, and trade description where applicable.
How do I manage selling, loaning or gifting a bird?
Simply change the bird's status. Switching to 'Sold' reveals fields for sale price, date and buyer details. The 'Loaned' status adds an expected return date and recipient details. The 'Given' status lets you record the recipient and gift date.
What happens when a bird dies?
Change its status to 'Deceased'. The bird is kept in your database for history and genealogy purposes but no longer appears in your active bird count.
Can I create my own custom statuses?
Yes, from the configuration you can create custom statuses with a colour and icon of your choice, in addition to the default statuses: active, inactive, sold, loaned, given and deceased. Bear in mind that a custom status is read as “active” by the app: only sold, loaned, given and deceased remove a bird from the flock. A bird you move to “in quarantine” or “reserved” therefore keeps counting among the birds you hold.
How do I add photos to a bird?
In the bird form, you can upload photos (JPG, PNG or WebP). Images are automatically optimized. You can also add a photo directly from the top of a bird's record if no photo has been added yet.
How do I share a bird as an image?
From the bird's sheet, you can create a portrait card, ready to send to a friend or to publish on social media. Three layouts are offered, each with its own cropping of the photo, and you decide what appears: you can hide the name or the ring number before sharing.
How does searching and filtering birds work?
The birds page features a search bar (by name, ring number or breed) and combinable filters: by species, status, gender, aviary, acquisition source and favorites. For more precise sorting, use the table view with its dynamic columns.
How do I mark a bird as a favorite?
Click the star on the bird's record or card. You can also do this via the three-dot menu or by right-clicking to use the context menu. Favorites can be quickly accessed using the 'Favorites only' filter.
How do I assign a bird to an aviary?
In the bird form, select the aviary from the dropdown menu. You can also manage assignments from the aviary dashboard.
How do I delete a bird?
You can delete a bird via the three-dot menu, the context menu (right-click), or by selecting multiple birds in the table view for bulk deletion.
Does the app remind me when to band my young birds?
Yes! You configure the number of days after hatching for each species, and AviarySoft sends you banding reminders at the right time from the dashboard.
What statistics are available for my birds?
The dashboard shows the total number of active birds, breakdown by species, gender and status. You also see sales revenue and acquisition costs to track your finances. Even more detailed statistics are available on the Statistics page, reserved for the Premium and Pro plans.
How do I generate a sale certificate?
When a bird has the 'Sold' status, an 'Export certificate' button appears in its detail card. The generated document, titled 'Sale Certificate', is downloadable as a PDF and contains the seller's information (name, farm, location), the buyer's details, the bird's information (species, breed, color, ring number, birth date) as well as the price and sale date. It's ready to print and hand over to the buyer.