I acquired a silver laced polish cockerel from the feed store while obtaining my spring meat birds and layer additions. They are fragile chicks and someone ordered one but they ship two just incase one doesn’t survive shipping. They both lived so he was a lone chick, so cute and adorable with a tuff on his head.
Pros: cute chicks, loved to jump up and sit on our lap in the backyard around the fire, as a rooster we can pick him up and he will fall asleep in your arms, he will find food and pick it off to feed the hens, though he has a big crest he keeps a good eye out for hawks and predators. He frequently makes a purring sound to calm the hens if they get anxious and at bed time. Seems to be winter hearty as we get -20 below at night and to date he is healthy.
Cons: he is a rooster and while hens are great around kids I don’t trust him, instead of an attack he pecks your feet to say get away from his hens, it is hilarious when he does this and I touch his crest he then screams like a person and leaps around. As chicks they can’t handle stress like other breeds, when picking him up he gets flighty or if startled, if he is separated from his flock he gets crazy, anxious and nuts. Running into stuff, higher probably of injury, pacing, unrational chicken behavior. In winter when he drinks out of an open dish his crest get wet and freezes into a head icicle so some give them a “hair trim” or tye it in a bunch so he doesn’t get frostbite or the use water nipples helps.
Over all we love our cockerel and he is top dog in his flock. The hens preen his crest at evening roost. He provides entertainment due to his nature for us year round.
Pros: cute chicks, loved to jump up and sit on our lap in the backyard around the fire, as a rooster we can pick him up and he will fall asleep in your arms, he will find food and pick it off to feed the hens, though he has a big crest he keeps a good eye out for hawks and predators. He frequently makes a purring sound to calm the hens if they get anxious and at bed time. Seems to be winter hearty as we get -20 below at night and to date he is healthy.
Cons: he is a rooster and while hens are great around kids I don’t trust him, instead of an attack he pecks your feet to say get away from his hens, it is hilarious when he does this and I touch his crest he then screams like a person and leaps around. As chicks they can’t handle stress like other breeds, when picking him up he gets flighty or if startled, if he is separated from his flock he gets crazy, anxious and nuts. Running into stuff, higher probably of injury, pacing, unrational chicken behavior. In winter when he drinks out of an open dish his crest get wet and freezes into a head icicle so some give them a “hair trim” or tye it in a bunch so he doesn’t get frostbite or the use water nipples helps.
Over all we love our cockerel and he is top dog in his flock. The hens preen his crest at evening roost. He provides entertainment due to his nature for us year round.
