Polish Chick's Crest

[CoopAndFeathers]

I have a few Polish chicks and all seem to be exhibiting normal and full crests except one who has a few small spots in which its crest fuzz is gone. I'm afraid the others might be plucking at it or maybe there might be another cause? I was away all day and when I came home their bowl was empty and I refilled it again, but might that be the reason? That my chicks were hungry and got peckish? I would also love to know a little bit more about the development of the crest etc. if somebody has that information. Thank you guys!

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

I am a huge Polish fan! I have Crevcouers as well.

How old are the chicks? As with most chicks, the fluff starts falling out shortly before they get in their first feathers... However, an empty bowl can cause the chicks to take interest in their roomies' unique characteristics. Could you post a photo so I can it?

Crested chickens' crests are unique I have lots of photos of them on my website but here is a link to an article I wrote on Polishes specifically: http://thewayofthechicken.com/index.php/2017/06/18/polishes/

As for the crest development, that part is kinda cool....

Crested chickens are unique in the fact that their brains are about 20% larger than the average (for their skull size). This causes a quirk in the chick’s fetal development which results in a crest: At about day 15 in incubation, the chick’s skull begins forming a protrusion on the top of the head to accommodate the growing/developing brain... This small protrusion is what we call a 'crest'.

For more information on Polishes, here is a very informative article: http://www.halchemy.co.uk/beebe/science.html

Hope that this was helpful!