Chicken names! Telling them apart!

[Shnett01]

How in the world do you all tell your girls apart? I’ve got two Plymouth rocks, two black sex links, and two those island reds. I’ve got names picked out but I can’t tell some of the pairs apart.

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

I use leg bands! I banded mine around five months ago. I can now tell most of the apart without the bands. The RIRs are hard, though. Here are the bands I use:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...s-ez-leg-bands-medium-pack-of-24?cm_vc=-10005

 

[neo71665]

Only name 'em right before they are on the plate. Dinner or supper

 

[NatJ]

Comb differences: one flops over, or has bigger or smaller points, or something like that.

Color and pattern differences: one is a brighter or darker red than the other, has a different amount of red in the breast, has sharper barring or more/less of it.

Anything a little bit different--a crooked tail, extra-fluffy feathers, tail held high or low, walks proudly or timidly, the first to run to you or away from you, etc.

Leg bands are a great idea.

I have been known to cut the tail feathers short on one chicken, and leave another of the same breed untrimmed--easy to tell them apart, at least until the next molt.

If you really like being able to tell your chickens apart, it's easier if you get only one of a breed, or if you get breeds with patterns in their feathers: they seem to be more variable. For example, my sister has two Golden Laced Wyandottes where one is nearly black and the other has lots of gold.