Identifying Chicks

[BrindleFinch]

Hello all!

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for identifying young chicks? We're soon to be adding 10 silkies and 10 polish to our flock, and although they'll be easy enough to tell apart from the other breed, I'm wondering if there is an easier way to tell them apart within their breeds?

I know that marking with any bright colors is a no / can lead to pecking; but could something like a small dab of nontoxic paint in various black/grey/brown shades work? Something inconspicuous but that would wash off / grow out with time.

Any other ideas?

 

[SueT]

They make leg bands....some people use colored zip ties, but they can get too tight and must be used correctly and monitored.

 

[HuffleClaw]

Yes! Colored leg bands!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've used bright red leg bands like the ones in SueT's post without pecking problems so I'm not as worried about bright colors as some. Still, do as you wish.

The problem with marking baby chicks is that they grow so fast. If you use leg bands or zip ties you really have to check quite often to make sure they are not getting too tight. You can do that but it takes a commitment.

If you ask a hatchery to mark certain chicks before they ship so you can tell them apart they typically use food coloring dabbed on the top of their head. I would not hesitate to use paint instead of food coloring. The problem with that is that the baby chicks fairly quickly shed down and grow in new feathers. Again you have to commit to checking regularly and remark them. By using different colors on different body parts (head, left side, right side, back) you can come up with a lot of different patterns. For example, green on the head, blue on the left side, and blue on the right side would be different from green on the head, green on the left and blue on the right. Use colors that contrast down or feather colors. Using yellow in a yellow chick might not be wise.

One permanent way to mark a chick that doesn't require a commitment to to constantly rechecking is toe punching. You can look up the details if interested, but you punch a hole in the skin between different toes and on different feet. It is a common method of doing what you are talking about. You'd have to catch the chicken to look at the feet to identify them.

I don't know enough about wing bands to know at what age they can be used or if they need swapping out as the chick grows. Usually numbers and letters are used on the bands so again you'd need to catch the chicken to read the numbers and letters.