So I'm getting the notorious Mystery lot of 25+ chicks next week. The kids and I would like to harbor guesses as to what each of the chicks are. I guess they could be any of 60 breeds at McMurray. What is a good reference for us? Also, the kids and cousins want to make two or three "their" chickens. Since it's straight run, we're hoping if they identify 3, odds are at least ONE is a hen!! (Pretty please?!?) How would you identify/label a chick? My girly daughter has a zillion nail polish colors--could we paint the toes on one of their feet? Or is that cruel and unusual chick punishment? Don't want Chicken CPS at my door! Sarah in Selkirk, NY
you could use nail polish, but there is a very good chance they will pick at it...possibly a lot. I know that some hatcheries use a light, colored dot on the head of a chick to mark the rooster in the group, but I don't know what it is called....it kindof dyes the feathers on the top of the head. Of course, as the baby fuzz grows out, the dot goes away. A colored zip tie around a leg might work, but I worry about those tiny, delicate little legs. You could always let the kids pick after their adult feathers start coming in, and research the sex linked breeds from the hatchery...
To ID your chicks, your best resource is going to be the MMM website. They have great pics and videos of the breeds of different chicks! The main things you'll be looking at this young are down color/pattern, leg color, feathering or lack of on the legs, beard/muffs or clean faced, and type of comb. Some breeds might be too difficult to sort out until they're fully feathered, and some are remarkable similar even then, until they mature a bit more. Some colors span several breeds, and one black chick may look much like another until they're 4ish months. I use zip ties to tell chicks apart. I put them on pretty loose, just snug enough they won't slip over the foot. The other chicks do peck at them, but I've never had any damage. I avoid red or pink and go with blue/green/yellow/black, colors like that. I check them every week for snugness and change as needed. Some members on here (DMRippy, right off) sell bands you can put on their legs for new chicks, I'm not sure how long until they outgrow them.
