Are polish tophats that stupid?

[Bird Brain]

I bought some tophats from a fellow byc'er. 4 of them, probably 3 months old. About 3 days after I got them home one seemed to get stuck in the rain. I found it outside soaking wet, took it inside and tried to warm it up but it passed after a while...hypothermia. 2 days later one drowns in the duck pond. Bout a week later, my frizzle pecks one to death, says my MIL. Frizzle never showed aggression to another bird before or since, but apparently my frizzle killed this bird. And tonight we get a rain and I come home to my last tophat from this batch, dead in the rain. Not like it had no where to go. Mere INCHES from shelter!!!!!! Seriously! Is this my luck or are these dumb birds and I need to quit trying. Did I just threw all that money away on DUMB BIRDS or is this my crappy luck?

 

[texasbartrambaby]

Wow - that is strange! I had two tophats - both I raised from chicks and one was a roo. Ended up giving the roo to a friend because he was a wonderful bug getter and she wanted him for the garden. They are both doing great - mine roam on our farm and they seem very smart. Wonder what happened?

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i had a polish twenty years ago and have one now. i don't think they're stupid. i find them to be fairly sensitive, they don't like change, and they are not aggressive when it comes to food or space. i need to keep an eye on my one polish to make sure she gets in on the treats. i sometimes need to help her up on her perch at night. i just think they are high strung and need a little extra TLC and looking after, especially if they have been put in a new situation.

Really sorry about your polish.

 

[becky3086]

I don't think they are stupid. The ones you got, how old were they? Had they been kept inside?

 

[Sooner]

I have been told on some you have to trim the feathers around the eyes in order for them to see well enough to find their way back inside the coop ect.

 

[froggie71]

We have 1 bearded and 1 non-bearded. They both seem "dumb" they will be lost in the middle of everyone and call because they are lost. They have finally figured out the large roost, but we had put one on the ground for them. They are the ones usually picked on, but when we put in 2 younger EE's in the coop the non-bearded was the bully that picked on them. The bearded tried to commit suicide once when the birds were out free-ranging and I had the firepit going. I was putting everyone away and realized she was missing and found her standing on the edge of the firepit. Almost had roasted Polish chicken that night.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Oh man- that's just terrible that you've lost so many.

I had my juvie cochin roos out yesterday- they are still new to free-ranging. (4 months old or so ) It rained all day. I repeatedly had to go out and put them back in the coop beuase they just stood there getting soaked. They weren't even foraging- just standing there!
I think in my case it might be that they were brooder-raised, not broody raised. I think it takes them a bit longer to get the hang of things. Do you know how they were brought up before you got them?

 

[Bird Brain]

not sure...I met her at a hardees. I have one running around out there from poultrylady, bout 5 months old. Will probably have to trim his bangs but he seems to be one of the brighter crayons. He was under shelter when I got home from work last night!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Hate to say it, but mine are stupid and flighty. Out of all the birds I have had these just bug me.

They are always tipping over the feeders and pooping in the waterer because they sit up there rather than roost.

Mine can see because his girls have feather pecked his crest so badly. But he always acts like I have an axe in my hand when I go past. Stupid bird.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I don't keep them, but I do raise them to sell to customers. One that I sold tried to fly through the coop window the first week; broke his neck.