telling them apart... help!

[Phildo]

Bout a week ago i got 6 chicks from TSC 3 pullets and 3 bantams.the 3 pullets were all yellow and puffy and bantams all looked differently (Nugget, red and dudley) . Recently on has started to get a red tint on her head (peaches) now they're getting feathers and they're all getting white wings and tails. Will they change color? Is there any way to tell them apart (marking them etc

 

[gardendufus]

Well, if you mean telling the different Breeds apart, do a google search of the types that should be helpful. If you mean telling the individual chickens apart...

I have three groups of chickens, 2 each of 4 different breeds. The older ones have slight differences in coloration. Of my barred rocks, one is darker than the other, black and white while one is more of a grey and white. However the best way I tell them apart is their personalities. One of my barred rocks is tamer, calmer, more inquisitive. The other is more aggressive and less likely to be friendly. The same for my black australorps, one is much friendlier, much more inquisitive. The other is quieter, more likely to settle in one spot and lay around watching the others, rather than joining in in their dustbaths, etc. These 4 are 7 weeks old and are definitely distinguishable by their personalities.

I have two welsummers that are now 4 weeks old. They are pretty much indisguinshable by looks at this age, and are just now starting to show personality types (1 wants to hang out with the big girls, 1 wants to hang with the 2 remaining baby chicks I have). I suspect that as they age, it will be personalities that I rely on to tell them apart, more than looks.

 

[azygous]

I am assuming you mean how can you distinguish one chick from another. It is very useful to mark them in some way to follow each chick's progress and well-being.

After they're about a week old, I use the smallest size plastic colored hair bands you get in the hair care section at Wal-Mart. Before then, their feet are too small for the bands to stay on. I write down the color and the chick's name so I can refer to it in case I'm slow to learn them.

After the chicks reach around five or six weeks, I take the small bands off and replace them with the next size up. The plastic bands come in a dozen colors, and they stretch. I have some hens that have been wearing the same bands for three years.

Some people order bird bands expressly made for this purpose, but they're much more expensive, and the hair bands work just as well.