How to Color Baby Chickens

Colored baby chickens are not just for marketing purposes, but are also for scientific purposes such as identifying chicks from different batches. The University of Nebraska states that scientists use the same method to track wild bird movements. The 4-H Embryology group of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County dyes chicks to observe how chicks change from their soft down to their juvenile feathers. (See Reference 1)

Things You'll Need

  • Incubator
  • Food coloring
  • Cotton swab
  • 95 percent alcohol solution
  • 1 inch long hypodermic needle, 27 gauge
  • Dissecting needle
  • Scissors
  • Adhesive bandage
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Instructions

    • 1

      Contact your state and local government regarding current animal health regulations to confirm whether dyeing chicks is legal or not. It is illegal to dye chicks in some states, such as New York. (Reference 2)

    • 2

      Move eggs into an incubator after the mother hen has laid them. Note the date the egg was laid.

    • 3

      Decide what color you wish to dye the chicks when eggs are 13 days old. Use vegetable dye such as food coloring to safely color the baby chicks. Ensure that dye concentration is no more than 3 percent. The University of Illinois states that most dyes sold in the marketplace are between 2 percent and 3 percent dye concentration and therefore, do not need to be diluted. (Reference 3)

    • 4

      Prepare a cotton alcohol swab with a 95 percent alcohol solution. Fill a 1 inch long, 27 gauge hypodermic needle with 0.4 cc of your chosen dye.

    • 5

      Remove a thirteen day old egg from the incubator. Wipe the small end of the egg with the prepared alcohol swab about a half inch from the tip. Puncture the egg shell with a dissecting needle.

    • 6

      Insert the tip of the 27 gauge hypodermic needle into the hole. Do not push the hypodermic needle in too far. Slowly release the dye into the egg. Gently remove the hypodermic needle.

    • 7

      Cut a small piece of adhesive bandage and stick it on the egg to close the hole. Place the egg back into the incubator.

    • 8

      Repeat steps 3 through 8 for the number of chicks you wish to color.