How can you tell baby chicks apart?

Answer 1

You really can't. Not with certainty. There are a few well trained sexing experts who can look at the cloaca of a day old bird but they are usually employed by major hatcheries.

The average breeder waits until the birds are a few months old and makes a determination based on growth and gender characteristics. Some hatcheries have sex link feather traits that will help you figure it out but only if they sell a sex link breed.

Larger combs and wattles, fear response and behavior are the best ways to know.

Answer 2

Each chicken breed will have different characteristics for their chicks.

For example: White Leghorn chicks are a cute lemon yellow color, that will change as they grow and get their adult feathers in, which are white. Golden Sex Link chicks are a soft, reddish yellow, with darker stripes on their back for the females, and a creamy white for the males. Black Australorp chicks are black with a little bit of yellow in their fluff, but grow into black chickens as they get their adult feathers in.

If you mix up your chicks, the only way to tell them apart would be to wait until they get older and can determine what breed they are. Or you can put a spiral leg band on them (anklets!) and as they grow older, change the bands out for larger bands to accomodate thicker legs.