How will I know which chick, duckling, or gosling is which breed when I receive my order?
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Congratulations! You've received your order of baby chicks or waterfowl from My Pet Chicken and now you want to know which breed is which. No problem!
Some babies may have leg bands. You can compare the leg band color on your bird to the charts below to help identify the breeds in your order.
IMPORTANT: The leg bands MUST be removed within about a week (because your chicks, ducks, or geese 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.
Chicken Breeds
| Chicken Breed | Band color |
|---|---|
| Ayam Cemani | Green |
| Blue/Black/Splash Birchen Marans | Green |
| Black/Lavender Split Orpington | Yellow |
| Blue Copper Marans | Dark Pink |
| Jubilee Orpington | Green |
| Lavender Ameraucana | Orange |
| Partridge Penedesenca | Pink |
| Swedish Flower Hen | Yellow |
| Male chicks of breeds on the list above will have the breed ban noted and an additional BLUE band. (1st band matches their breed color, 2nd band is blue.) | Blue |
| Male Bantam breeds will be banded with a single BLUE band only when ordered with sexed females of the same breed. | Blue |
Additional info for chickens with leg bands:
- Please note: When ordered as assortments, breeds from this list may or may not be marked.
- 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.
- 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.
Duck Breeds
| Breed | Day-Old Bird Appearance | Band Color |
|---|---|---|
| Black Swedish | Black with a yellow chest | Yellow |
| Blue Swedish | Gray with a yellow chest | Red |
| Buff | Tan | Red |
| Cayuga | Black, may have yellow tint on chest | Purple |
| Duclair | Yellow | Yellow |
| Golden 300 Hybrid | Males-blackish, Females-brownish | Blue |
| Grimaud Hybrid | Yellow | White |
| Hookbill | Multicolored | Black |
| Jumbo Pekin | Yellow | Green |
| Khaki Campbell | Dark brown | Purple |
| Mallard | Same as Rouen, but smaller, one back toe clipped | Purple |
| Pekin | Yellow | Purple |
| Rouen | Black with yellow stripes beside eyes | Green |
| Black Runner | Black, may have yellow tint on chest; slender, more upright stance | White |
| Blue Runner | Gray; slender, more upright stance | Yellow |
| Chocolate Runner | Dark Brown; slender, more upright stance | Green |
| Fawn & White Runner | Yellow with tan splotches; slender, more upright stance | White |
| Saxony | Tan with yellow stripes by eyes | Green |
| Silver Appleyard | Yellow with shades of black and gray | Orange |
| Welsh Harlequin | Yellow with shades of black and gray | Red |
| White Crested | Yellow with tuft of down on top of head | Black |
| White Layer | Yellow | Orange |
Additional info for ducks and geese with leg bands:
- If you ordered straight run ducks or geese, they will not be marked for sex.
- Remember - if the band is on the bird's right leg it is a male; if it is on the bird's left leg, it is a female.
Goose Breeds
| Breed | Day-Old Bird Appearance | Band Color |
|---|---|---|
| African | Olive gray and yellow | Black |
| Brown Chinese | Olive gray and yellow | Orange |
| Buff | Buff/tan and yellow | Yellow |
| Buff Toulouse | Buff/tan and yellow | Green |
| Embden | Yellow and light gray | Red |
| Classic Roman | Yellow and light gray | Green |
| French Toulouse | Olive gray and yellow | Purple |
| Large Dewlap Toulouse | Olive gray and yellow | Purple and Orange |
| Pilgrim | Male-Yellow & light gray; Female-Olive gray and yellow | Blue |
| Roman Tufted | Yellow and light gray with tuft on head | Black |
| Sebastopol | Yellow and light gray | Orange |
| Super African | Olive gray and yellow | Yellow |
| Toulouse | Olive gray and yellow | Green |
| Tufted Buff | Buff and yellow with tuft on head | Red |
| Tufted Toulouse | Olive gray and yellow with tuft on head | Red |
| White Chinese | Yellow | Orange |
