How do I tell my new chickens apart?

[mollymoo]

Hi, I am new to Backyard Chickens and even newer to raising chickens! We finished our coop on Sunday and soon after bought four light Sussex hens. They are delightful - I am in love with them already - but I can't tell them apart! We spent a lot of time discussing names for our girls, but now can't allocate names when we don't know which is which! How do we do it? This may be a really silly question, but please be kind as I am such a newbie to chicken rearing.

 

[Stacykins]

An easy way to tell them apart would be to put colored leg bands on each hen! I did that when I had several of the same breed and their individual personalities/traits hadn't shown yet. I used colored zip tiess, with excess trimmed off after application. Keep them loose, but not so loose they slip off the foot or over their 'knee' joint on the upper part of the leg. And make sure to check every few days for tightness, and replace as needed. I always like bands to have wiggle room.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Try looking at their combs, there is a good chance they are different enough for you to use those to tell them apart. I do that with my Dorkings.

 

[teach1rusl]

You could even use a sharpie to put a dot on a different toe or toenail for each chick, until you learn their differences.

 

[KFox]

You can use food coloring on a feather or two. Just don't use red.

 

[BoltonChicken]

Take a look here:

http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/in...x&cPath=6_88&zenid=8lva38i798oio52s3s2udcbqu6


These are what was being used 60 years ago on our farm and are still used today.