How do you distinguish the chickens? How do you label them?

Most of mine look different so I can remember everybody's names. I do have 2 barred rocks that are just about identical though. You can buy very inexpensive leg bandetts that come in different colors and have numbers on them. I just ordered some from Twin City so that mine can be banded to help the rest of my family ID them all. It will also help in my record keeping for vaccinations, age and breeding.

http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/

 

Hi Jean,

i never had a problem telling my birds apart until i got six Red Stars. They all look a bit different, but when i go out and they're all swirling around me, it's hard to tell.

When i was giving them medication i marked their tails with a permanent magic marker after dosing them so i wouldn't accidentally forget one or overdose another. i don't think it hurts them and being on the tail they would not be inclined to try to clean it off. But with the dark red on your RIRs, that may not be an option. You may want to consider colored leg bands. Oops, i see those were just suggested. Probably your best bet.

Colleen

 

I know mine by their personalities and because I'm around them alot every day.
My SO calls every one of my dark hens Lil' Bit. I've tried explaining to him how to tell Lil' Bit apart from the other dark hens, to no avail.

 

Leg bands.

 

If I can't tell them apart well enough I don't bother naming them. A name comes from their individual looks and personality. If I need to tell apart the birds I haven't named I just use leg bands or when the bantam chicks were too small for leg bands I colored 1 or 2 feathers on both wings with nontoxic marker. That only works on lighter colored chickens and it wears off after a few weeks.

 

I went to Home Depot, or was it Lowe's or was it Walmart. Doesn't matter.

They have these baggies of different colored zip ties. I got the assorted colors and got 8 different colors. Zipped them right on the left leg. Cheaper and faster than poultry leg bands and very replaceable if they grow and one gets too tight.

 

I have a policy not to name that which I will eat. So they are just the chickens for now. I suppose when I start a breeding program I will need to find a way to differentiate between the girls.... maybe work up a color code system using the multi colored bands that wookie mentioned...

 

Quote:Great idea!!!!

Was in looking at the 15 Austrolorp and 10 Black Star babies (hatched 1-21) and getting a headache just trying to tell the two breeds apart, although now I think the Alorps are bigger and look like penguins.

But when they're turned away and swirling...kinda tough.

Those babies are gonna be banded when they're bigger!

 

def. do the different colored zip ties, you can get them just about anywhere! i did, i have 4 rir, and put the same color ziptie on both feet, one has blue anklets, yellow, orange and pink it works great now i can tell who is sitting on a nest, hurt etc.