Q: How will I know which chick is which breed when I receive my baby chicks?A: Most chicks do not come marked or tagged in any way. However, females of certain rare breeds now come with colored leg bands applied so they can be distinguished from other similar-looking chicks.
| Chicken Breed |
Leg band color |
| Black Split to Lavender Orpington |
Purple and Green leg bands (double-banded) |
| Blue/Black Birchen Marans |
Purple and Yellow leg bands (double-banded) |
| Olive Eggers |
Purple leg band |
| White Marans |
Purple leg band |
| Golden Cuckoo Marans |
Blue leg band |
| Blue Ameraucana |
Blue leg band |
| Blue Orpington |
Green leg band |
| Barnevelder |
Green leg band |
| Heritage Barred Rock |
Yellow leg band |
| Partridge Penedesenca |
Yellow leg band |
| Swedish Flower |
Yellow leg band |
| Frost White Legbar |
Orange leg band |
| Jubilee Orpington |
Orange leg band |
| Black Copper Marans |
Orange leg band |
| Blue Copper Marans |
Pink leg band |
| Blue Splash Marans |
Pink leg band |
| Cream Legbar |
Pink leg band |
| Blue Cuckoo Marans |
Yellow and Green (double banded) |
*Please note: When ordered as assortments, breeds from this list may or may not be marked.
The leg bands MUST be removed within about a week (because your chicks will be growing while the leg bands won't!). Since these are rubber bands, they are extremely easy to remove. Just grab the band and roll it down over the foot.
For chicks that aren't one of the above breeds and don't come banded, they are usually easier to distinguish by appearance. You can compare your chicks to the photos on our site to try to identify which is which. My Pet Chicken makes it easier for you by providing a Baby Chick Breed Identifier that includes photos of chicks by breed, listed alphabetically.
That page is also a great one to look at if you just enjoy browings adorable photos!
Many different breeds look similar as chicks, so in some cases, it's possible that you may not be absolutely sure what you have until the birds get their mature plumage, but in most cases, a combination of comparing photos and using the leg bands to distinguish similar-looking breeds should help.
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