[juliemax1]

hi every1 im new to the site   
i have sum eggs in the incubator that are fron several different breeds leghorn cuckoo maran and coper blue marans and splash marans, i hav labled the eggs but then realised how do i tel the difrent chicks apart once hatched? and keeping them all 2gether how wil i no whos who!! how does every1 els do it??  thanks

[Casey76]

Hi Juliemax welcome to the forum   Why don't you pop over to the welcome section and introduce yourself, we're a friendly bunch and rarely bite 

A quick word, please don't use "text speak" we have quite a few members who don't live in the UK, and might find it difficult to read your posts

Onto your question...   When it comes time for the eggs to hatch, you will have to watch closely to see who comes out of each egg.  I use a mini cable tie to differentiate the colours.  I think you can see one peeping out here



You have to be careful though, and ckeck them every day incase they grow too tight.  I kep them failrly loose, and change them every three days or so until 8 weeks old, then I can put their "grown up" leg rings on.

[juliemax1]

thank you i didnt realise i was using txt talk so used to it! the cable tie thing is good idea but id b scared of hurting them i gues you get used to it tho how long do you leave them before you put the ties on? i thought you couldnt open the incubator once hatching started?

[Casey76]

How long have you got until they hatch?

A friend recommended putting each group of eggs into a mesh laundry bag so you can tell them apart.  So you could have splash Marans in one bag, Copper blues in another and leave the leg horns (if they are white leghorns the chicks will be yellow) and the cuckoo Marans (chicks will be black) free in the incubator.

I've hatched myself using the laundry bag method, and it works a treat - as long as you have a fairly big space inwhich to hatch.

If they are in bags, then you can put a tie on their leg as you move them to the brooder once they have fluffed up.  If you make a loop with the tie first, then al you have to do is stick thier foot through and pull it a bit tighter.  It should be loose enough to sit like a bangle in their foot, but not so loose that it would fall off.

[juliemax1]

i have just over a week till they hatch
my incubator is a brinsea octagan 20 advance not sure on what you are meaning with the laundry bags? also the leghorns are brown.

[jinty1911]

Laundry Bag? Gosh, the mind is boggling  :blink: Do you have a pic Casey?  I really like Chikky pics 

[juliemax1]

wats this laundry bag idea? thay due to hatch thursday geting giddy

[Casey76]

the laundry bags are the 30x20cm ones you get to put your "delicates" in.

As long as there is enough room do wiggle about in they should be fine; however from what i know of the octogons there isn't too much room... is the incubator full?

Even if you can't use this method, the chicks should be easy-ish to tell apart.  The leghorns will be buff, the cuckoo Marans will be black (with a splotch on their head), the copper blue Marans will be assorted colours of blue through black, and the splash Marans will be pale yellow.  The only thing is, you may get a couple of splash Marans from the copper blue eggs too (as blue x blue = 25% black, 50% blue and 25% splash).

[juliemax1]

thankyou thankyou thankyou! iv located some ties after much serching the oh sugested pipe cleaners to which i thourt was a good idea and come in diferent colours. incubator not full as removed some eggs after candleing. i hope i learn the ins and outs of this prety quick ha ha. im more stresed over these than i was having my daughter! now all i need to do is learn how to sex them. also i dont think my coper blue marans wil be staying as the eggs are very pale almost like warren eggs  although they look of breed atabdard and was from a breeder  . also 1 of the hens is peking and eating the cocks feathers so he now on his own. im new to this and want to thankyou for all your advice id be wel and truly in a tiz without this site 
wil let you no wen thay hatch and see if can post sum pics
have not managed to work out the welcom page yet ether

[Casey76]

It's always exciting around hatching time.

The good thing is Marans are quite easy to sex, as the boys start to grow their combs at a very early age.  I can usually tell the boys at about 2-3 weeks. 

I don't have a clue about the leghorns though, so I can't help out with those

[8doubles]

Could you mark a leg, toe or web with a non toxic permanent marker?