Polish and Flock Dynamics

[MommaBison]

I just put in our order for chicks this coming spring and I want to make sure I check my preparation boxes. My daughter has been asking for a Buff Laced Polish for well over a year now, but I didn't feel prepared to get one on our first go around.

That being said, I decided to get her her Polish this year. I also ordered 16 Whiting True Blues, a Dominique (requested by another of our kids), 4 Cochins and 6 Australorps. I'm starting to feel concerned about flock dynamics....if raised together will they all be kind to each other or will the Polish end up getting picked on? Ultimately they'd end up joining the rest of the flock, which is mostly Orpingtons, 8 barnyard mixes and 2 Cream Legbars with a Cochin Roo. He is the most gentle guy ever.

 

[MommaBison]

Picture of my daughter holding our roo as proof of how sweet he is.

 

[The Birb King]

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Polish and silkies are one of the breeds that tend to be picked on more easily. The ones she's raised with should be fine but the older ones might pick on her. I would just see how it goes and if she is getting pecked then seperste her.

 

[Iluveggers]

Honestly I would trade out a couple of your other choices (or add a few more) and get 2 more polish & 2 more dominques. Chickens tend to hang out with similar looking chickens. My Faverolles is a definite outcast in my group, and I got single breeds so no one would pair up and exclude. She’s just very different.

If you do that, and happen to lose one of either breed early, each singleton will have a buddy that looks like them to hang out with.

 

[MommaBison]

Honestly I would trade out a couple of your other choices (or add a few more) and get 2 more polish & 2 more dominques. Chickens tend to hang out with similar looking chickens. My Faverolles is a definite outcast in my group, and I got single breeds so no one would pair up and exclude. She’s just very different.

If you do that, and happen to lose one of either breed early, each singleton will have a buddy that looks like them to hang out with.

I wondered about this. I've been waffling on getting more, but at $8/Polish, it gets expensive. We considered getting less chickens and more Polish so they could even have their own space, but goals have been set to increase egg production and we run out so fast. Thank you for these suggestions! I'm definitely taking them into consideration.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Polish are a really strange-acting breed and are enjoyable to have because of their weird personality, but they do not do good at all in a mixed-breed flock. If you are getting a Polish, it is better to at least get another one so the Polish is not alone and is the only one who can't see well. Polish tend to fall very low on the pecking order and get easily bullied, as well as they are more vulnerable to predators than your average breed. Seriously; when a hawk or other raptor flies over, my Polish will just run into a fence and sit there, or simply lay down where they were standing like they fainted or something.

 

[MommaBison]

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Polish and silkies are one of the breeds that tend to be picked on more easily. The ones she's raised with should be fine but the older ones might pick on her. I would just see how it goes and if she is getting pecked then separate her.

We currently free-range our birds, but not sure we will be able to sustain that with more birds (for their safety). Would you be concerned with cochins? They're supposed to stay incredibly docile, right? With our roo being so incredible, I fell in love with them, hoping they'll be so sweet and eventually be the barnyard mommas. Also wondering if I'll need more Roosters with the amount of hens I'll have? We currently have 23:1.

 

[The Birb King]

We currently free-range our birds, but not sure we will be able to sustain that with more birds (for their safety). Would you be concerned with cochins? They're supposed to stay incredibly docile, right? With our roo being so incredible, I fell in love with them, hoping they'll be so sweet and eventually be the barnyard mommas. Also wondering if I'll need more Roosters with the amount of hens I'll have? We currently have 23:1.

Oh that's a fine ratio. You only need about 10:1

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Also wondering if I'll need more Roosters with the amount of hens I'll have? We currently have 23:1.

No, that is fair ratio.

 

[MommaBison]

Polish are a really strange-acting breed and are enjoyable to have because of their weird personality, but they do not do good at all in a mixed-breed flock. If you are getting a Polish, it is better to at least get another one so the Polish is not alone and is the only one who can't see well. Polish tend to fall very low on the pecking order and get easily bullied, as well as they are more vulnerable to predators than your average breed. Seriously; when a hawk or other raptor flies over, my Polish will just run into a fence and sit there, or simply lay down where they were standing like they fainted or something.

Oh dear! That's not good, we have not had a problem with sky predators, thank God. But we did recently loose a bird to something..... it's neck got ripped out, but the whole hen got left behind (maybe scared off?) it was likely during light hours. It's the first one in almost a year we've lost to a predator. I will definitely consider getting a few more Polish and possibly putting them in a separate area.