Polish and Flock Dynamics

[SwampPrincessChick]

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.

I am sorry for your loss! I don't know what may have done that. It is sad that Polish have been bred to not see very well due to the large crest, and Polish have been known to attract hawks to your backyard. A hawk knows which birds are more vulnerable than the rest.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Iluveggers]

Maybe you will know this...? My roo is very mild and was not the alpha, who we had to cull due to extreme aggressive behavior. I'm not sure he's doing his job and I have been asked for hatching eggs. How long could the adjustment period be, before he is reliable mating the hens? I've started stimulating them when they squat, they only 8 months old and many have even stopped laying.

He may not mate them if they stopped laying. Once they start up again in the spring you can see if he’s doing the job.

 

[MommaBison]

How old is the rooster? Have you ever seen him mate with the hens?

He's 8 months. I've only seen him go after a couple of hens. Granted, I haven't gotten much time to actually watch him.

 

[Ensaino]

First year flock owner here. I picked up 9 chicks and then about 2 months later I picked up 3 more. Two of them, a silkie and a polish were getting picked on in the brooder box I assume because they were smaller and new. The Amaracuana was getting picked on too but was larger and handled herself. I separated the two from the others.

At 8 weeks the older birds moved into their coop and run. During the day I’d take the other two out to the run, separate them with a dog gate and leave all the birds in the run all day. After a week I let them free range together. The Polish and silkie were bullied a little but my yard is big so they could avoid the other birds. It took about 2 months of this on a fairly consistent basis to get them to come together. Now they are one solid unit.

After doing a lot of reading on here I believe it’s due to them having a lot space in the run, space in the coop, several feeders and watering stations and getting time out to free range in the back yard. As long as they have space, food and water I think most birds will get along with each other. It eliminates things to fight over.

I have a mixed flock. Not a single one is a jerk. Some don’t like to be picked up but never an attack, good with kids and they hang out with my 80 pound Doberman.

My Polish is a goof, super sweet and gets along with all of my other birds. I think if she was raised with my other birds there wouldn’t have been any problems getting along.

Good luck!

My flock:
Rooster - Bantam Blue Sarama/Mix
Hens - Cochin x2, Barred Rock x2, Maran, Australorp, Ancona, Ameraucana, Wyandot, Silkie, Polish

 

[MommaBison]

If he's only eight month sold, he is not a rooster, he is a cockerel. Give your cockerel time to get more hormones and see what happens－he may grow into a rooster who doesn't breed regularly, or he may not.

Okay, that's good to know, I guess I just considered him crowing and coming into maturity that he'd now be a rooster, but it's good to know I made a mistake there.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Okay, that's good to know, I guess I just considered him crowing and coming into maturity that he'd now be a rooster, but it's good to know I made a mistake there.

Yes, many people think that but that's not how chicken terminology works. A chicken is only an adult when they reach one year of age.

Rooster - An adult male chicken that is over one year of age.
Hen - An adult female chicken that is over one year of age.
Cockerel - An immature male chicken that is under one year of age.
Pullet - An immature female chicken that is under one year of age.
Sire - Either a rooster or cockerel, depending on age, who is currently fathering chicks.
Dam - Either a hen or pullet, depending on age, who is currently mothering chicks.
Capon - Either a rooster or cockerel, depending on age, who has been neutered.
Bullstag - An adult (over one year of age) male chicken that is of a gamefowl breed.
Stag - An immature (under one year of age) male chicken that is of a gamefowl breed.

For your information, the term "gamefowl" refers to breeds that have been specifically bred for cockfighting. It is often confused with "gamebird," which refers to a bird hunted for food and sport like the pheasant or quail.

 

[MommaBison]

Yes, many people think that but that's not how chicken terminology works. A chicken is only an adult when they reach one year of age.

Rooster - An adult male chicken that is over one year of age.
Hen - An adult female chicken that is over one year of age.
Cockerel - An immature male chicken that is under one year of age.
Pullet - An immature female chicken that is under one year of age.
Sire - Either a rooster or cockerel, depending on age, who is currently fathering chicks.
Dam - Either a hen or pullet, depending on age, who is currently mothering chicks.
Capon - Either a rooster or cockerel, depending on age, who has been neutered.
Bullstag - An adult (over one year of age) male chicken that is of a gamefowl breed.
Stag - An immature (under one year of age) male chicken that is of a gamefowl breed.

For your information, the term "gamefowl" refers to breeds that have been specifically bred for cockfighting. It is often confused with "gamebird," which refers to a bird hunted for food and sport like the pheasant or quail.

Thank you for sharing! I did know most of this before raising my chickens, but in the last year I seem to have forgotten as I've watched them mature. So technically I have 8 hens, 16 pullets and Cockerel.