Can't tell them apart

[DeborahLynne14]

Ok - I HATE to admit this - but I am a terrible chicken mama. I can't tell my leghorns apart.
I have 1 Rhode Island Red and 5 White Leghorns. They all have names but I don't know who is who.
I didn't want to mark them in any way so they wouldn't peck each other.
The RIR is Ruby
Somebody is Pearl - one is Jane another is Annie Laura and someone else is Hazel (all in memory of passed loved ones) The last little chickie is Bertie.
I got them on Good Friday when they were a couple days old so they are about 6 weeks old now.
If you have any tips or tricks let me know and please tell me I am not the only one.
I feel awful!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Don't feel bad. Many breeds (especially solid colored birds) are nearly impossible to tell apart. There are plenty of marking options that won't lead to any sort of pecking, etc - also, once you do mark them you will be able to tell who is who and then other traits - such as personality, sound of their voice, etc - will become easier to recognize and, before you know it, you will be able to know who is who w/out needing the markings to tell you.

 

[becy]

I had 5 chicks that were identical. I marked them with drops of food coloring on their heads. No one pecked at each other (even the one with red dye on her head wasn't pecked--as soon as I used the red dye I thought i'd made a mistake but nope, they could care less). They stayed marked until they feathered out and now I can tell them apart by small differences in their coloring/behavior.

It is true once you mark them, differences will start to emerge. I have one total lunatic chicken. She's nuts. Without the mark I would have thought they all were prone to looney behavior from time to time. Nope, just her.

 

[DeborahLynne14]

Thank y'all so much for the ideas and the encouragement. I love my chickens so much and I feel bad that I can't call them by name.

 

[WVduckchick]

I just bought little mini zip-ties, in every color I could find, to put on the ankles of my lavender orpingtons. I realize I will have to change them often as they grow. I did it so that I could take pics, and then look back to figure out what traits indicate male/female, after they grow and I know which sex they are. Now I will just have to associate a name to a color somehow! I guess the red one is now named Ruby!