Pros - Hilarious to watch as their "hair" blows in the breeze. Friendly. Decent Egg Layers. Good foragers despite their visual impairment.
I added more polish to my flock this year simply for my entertainment. They are pets and it is just a bonus that they "pay rent". I love to watch their tophats blow in the breeze and when they are wet it's even funnier looking. Mine are awesome foragers and they are always first to come running when I have treats. Due to their smaller size they are quick!
I’ve had many polish chickens. From my experience the roosters have all been aggressive and attacked me (except for my only bantam). They come in many colors so there is different kinds to grab your eye. They are docile and easy to pick up.
I got 4 from my neighbor and I loved them soo much. A bit after I put them with my flock I go check on them and to my horror I find my rooster dead and all my chickens trampling him. A few days later the 3 hens I had left died with no sign of injury. I did talk to my neighbor and all her Polish but one died. She had like 6-10 of them. They are amazing bird keepers so it is surprising that they died but lesson learned: NEVER BUY POLISHES!!!
In September I got 4 "wyandottes" but by the second day in the brooder, I decided they were polish instead. They were very nice chicks, they were friendly and loved cuddles. But when it was time to kick them out into the coop, trouble started. My aggressive leghorns liked to pluck the crests and try to kill them. They even did kill one. Now they live in my basement again for the winter, and I will try to introduce them in the spring after the leghorns (who are all 6) are culled in the spring, leaving my docile friendly red stars and EE's to introduce them to.
Pros - Friendly, adorable, kids love them, not broody, talkative, great layers of small white eggs, huggable.
I love my little golden laced polish to DEATH! Not only does she love to follow me around the yard, but she loves to talk! She's always rocking a new hairdo to impress the roos, and lays a tiny white egg everyday without fail. "Passiflora" responds to her name and loves to bring my kids things she finds cool throughout the yard. She'd be the perfect bird if she weren't such an airhead I've never seen a chicken run TOWARDS a hawk
Pros - Completely lovable. Will play with your feet, follow you everywhere and when younger will jump onto your leg.. or arm.... or shoulder......... or head! Falls asleep in arms when you stroke the afro.
Cons - Cant see as well, mine has run into a pole before. Aggressive to other chickens, which can be a good or bad thing.
These are amazing birds who love love love love people. What i mean by aggressive being a good or bad thing is because they might beat up the other hens, but that will protect them from getting their afro getting ripped out. They are fun to watch run around the yard. You don't need to worry so much about them being cold in the winter when they are younger since they become fully feathered at a very young age.
I have 4 polish chickens 3 hens and a cockerel all are bantam sized: -Maggie a solid black hen- very happy doing her own thing loves being friends with other chickens. -Dooffy a solid white cockerel - very dramatic, Very Silly, doesn't coo cooo doodle doo just squeaks every now and then & NOT very clever. -Ruth a red black laced hen- happy doing her own thing, bit dramatic, doesn't like cockerels. -Scabbers a frizzled golden silver lace hen- very very dramatic, feisty with other chickens, likes to be top dog even tho shes tiny, out of all the chickens I have shes the most scabby.
As a keeper of polish I love them. Very friendly and love lap sitting. Reasonable layers. Interesting to look at. Multiple colours make a nice flock. Downsides are they need extra crest care. The crest can often attract unwanted pecking from other birds. Some can be flighty if they don't know you are there. Some don't mix well in mixed flock setting.
Pros - Goofy, endearing temperament. Tolerates hsndling, not flighty. Good rooster instincts. Adorable crow.
I have one large fowl silver laced Polish rooster. The other five didn't make it past a month. While the smallest bird I own at maybe 4 pounds, he's not the bottom of the pecking order in a six rooster hierarchy. His frequent crow is nevertheless adorable, shorter than most, of a higher pitch and a more bantam quality. He likes to fluff up nesting material for the girls. He doesn't eat much but adds a lot of charm and entertainment value to the chicken yard. Crested breeds relatively prone to getting lice and to predation generally as crests block their view. Polish chickens, while generally viewed as cold intolerant have proven to be more tolerant than I'd expected. They're not an "eating chicken" but also don't eat much, unlike several other more ornamental, pet type breeds. I've heard they're respectable layers of tiny eggs.
