Here are three types of collars I've used. The first is the newer style, capable of going larger and smaller with 6 holes. Second two are the older style (1940-70's) and are for smaller necked animals. The last one is a compression clasp, whereas the first two need rivets to close.
Collars are a must for run style breeding. Unfortunately, they can cause problems if you are not careful. Some of the ones I've seen are;
- Chins getting feet or jaw caught - can lead to death pretty quickly.
- Chins outgrowing the collar - leads to fluid buildups around the neck and possible asphyxiation.
- Cysts from the collar rubbing
- permenant scarring and loss of fur around the neck from a poorly fitted collar.
- Escaping the collar and getting loose in the run, killing other chins or getting killed.
When collaring a chin, you will want to find steel fasteners. Nowadays some come with plastic ones - those are like candy to chins, they just can't wait to chew them off. It will be of much help when you collar if you take the collar out to a paved area, and whack the rivet in the collar with a hammer. This makes it much 'tighter' and harder to get open and closed. It will not only be easier to get on the chin, but will be harder for the chin to get it off.
"They just don't make 'em like they used to..." This photo shows the newer style collars after a few years of use. They are made of aluminum and very soft. In the first photo, the older, smaller one has less chew marks, even though it has probably been in use for 40 or more years. The really old one has hardly any, is the thickest and weighs the most at 4g.
When collaring you always want to leave a pinky's width between the collar and the neck, and for heaven's sake, don't open the hole right away. Make sure the chin can't get out of the collar before opening the run.
If you are worried about collars being 'inhumane' and upsetting the chins, don't worry. I've not seen it bother them, and in most cases females don't notice (and neither do people).
Both of these females were wearing collars when these photos were taken. You can just barely see the colar on the first female.
Smaller breeders will pull the collars off when a female is confirmed pregnant and put them back on after she has weaned her kits. This allows for the growth (and fluid buildup) during pregnancy and some feel it makes her more comfortable.
Some different styles of collars I have taken pictures of.
The three-prong type is very popular with ranchers that have larger females.