Are polish tophats that stupid?

[Junkmanme]

Ha-Ha!

My BEST FRIEND is a "Pollock". (Everyone calls him "The Pollock"..he doesn't mind.)

I'm thinking that I should get one of these "dumb chickens" and name it "The Pollock" in His Honor!!! (Actually, he'd be THRILLED !!!

It would be worth the "trouble" and "expense".

A GOOD IDEA!

Ha-Ha!

-Junkmanme-

 

[chickendude]

My SLP roo is the dumbest bird I have. Sweet but very dumb.

 

[Megs]

ive recently gotten 2 polish bantams (pullet/cockeral, about 5 months old) i put them in my 10X20 bantam chick grow out run with the rest of my "chicks" in that age group (4-6 months), they seem to be doing just fine, i had to put them in the coop at night for the first week and then they figured it out, they wont roost at night, but i need to put lower perches in, i just dont think they can jump 3' off the ground like the rest of the birds (some of the others actually dont roost either, they prefer to lie in a pile under the heat lamp, even though its not tooo cold yet). once they are of age in the spring for me to be incubating their eggs they will have their own fully ennclosed 5X10 run with their own small coop, hopefully they will continue to thrive

the pullet is fairly friendly, lets me pet her while shes on the ground and pick her up, the cockeral is a bit more flighty, i think due to his hair, he cant see me when i want to pick him up or pet him so it startles him. this dosent bother me and since there is no other reason for me to trim his hair im leaving it for now, hes to cute

 

[kathyinmo]

Since they never originated in Poland, how do you suppose they got their name? Hmmm....

Junkman,
Wanna make another deal??? (rubbing hands together)
I have 4 that should begin to lay any day now .... (20 weeks old)
2 black with white crest'
2 buff laced

Here is Ariel: (She looks like a long legged skinny woman like "Twiggy.")

This is "Baby," (missing tail feathers) who was the runt of the litter, so to speak, and now the biggest of the Polish we have. We babied her along, vitamins, etc, thinking she was pushed away from the feeder early on.

This is one of the 2 black "Nuggets."

This is Einstein. I should say, "was Einstein." He was our only Polish roo. (I really liked him.) I killed him. I was treating him for a vitamin deficiency, and had him in a shed, closed the door at night, and after 2 nights he was dead. I believe it is because I am an idiot and I gased him to death. So stupid of me, he was in with the mowers and all the gasoline items. I could smell the gas when I opened the door.

This is when they were younger. They used to stay close to each other, near the gate to the run and coop, when they first started free ranging. Now they run all over, and get lost, and bump into things.

I have even cut the Nugetts' crest without much success. The blonde girls see better, due to the shape of their crests. I don't think they are dumb. I think they are "blind!" One of the Nuggets sleeps on the poop board usually, the others roost. One hangs out in a nest or under the poop board most of the time. (Security, I think). Poor things. NO, I will not breed these things! And, ummm, (sorry) I don't like them. I will, however, eat their nice white eggs, IF they ever start laying! I would gladly sell them, and do not want anymore of them.

ETA: BTW: I was told, by an aviary expert, "it's okay for chickens to get wet, and it's okay for chickens to get cold; BUT, it is not okay for them to get wet AND cold." So, I figure it's okay when my chickens like to play out in the rain when it's not cold. (They do come in when it's raining too much.)

 

[Junkmanme]

kathyinmo,

The chicken in your FIRST picture (Ariel) is an attractive chicken!

(But, you can quit rubbing your hands together...I don't WANT any of them. My OWN chickens are "D-Students" !!! So, we'll just have to deal on something else. Ha-Ha!))

I doubt that you "gassed" Ole Einstein. Vitamin difficiency diseases can often be terminal and/or irreversible. (I know from experience..my Father had suffered many of them because of WW2 prisoner-of-War starvation. Some were not reversible, the body could no longer absorb the vitamins.) This is probably what killed your rooster! Vitamin difficiency also damages internal organs, particularly intestines, kidneys, and heart.

Your POST makes me wonder IF these birds TRULY DO SEE POORLY...not just because of their "crests". Perhaps, due to untold generations of the "crests" blocking their vision....they may actually have developed "poor eyesight". It would be interesting to see the results of some tests along this line!

Nice to hear from you again!
-Junkmanme-

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I haven't read this whole thread, but when I bathe my birds (wet crests can be formed into an upright column that doesn't block vision, or use hair tape to hold the crest out of their eyes, they obviously see quite well--become more active and curious about their surroundings. Most of my birds are silkies, but I also have polish, and I see no discernable difference between breeds in this aspect.

FWIW, bird vision is vastly superior to human vision (even before my old eyes became presbiotic). They see a much larger specrtum, and distinguish differences in colour that humans cannot. Plus the level of detail (zoom factor, if you will) is considerably greater. They do however usually not see in stereo (3-D) as well, although there are a few species with eye placement that allows stereo vision.

However, it is possible that an individual bird can have vision problems, just as with any creature.

There are also behaviors that are learned and copied, which could relate to an ancestor with poor vision, his/her chicks and flock learned and copied that behavior and taught it to their chicks, who then taught it to theirs.

There is a story about a newly-wed couple cooking a roast. She spices the roast, then cuts off an end before putting it in a pan and then the oven. He says, "why did you cut off then end?" SHe says, "that's how my mother tuaght me." They become curious and call her mother and ask. She answers the same as her daughter, "that's how my mother taught me." So they call the grandmother and ask her. "Oh, it's becuase my pan was too small to hold the entire roast."

 

[Junkmanme]

 

[kathyinmo]

 

[becky3086]

Baby in the picture above looks like a roo.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Exactly what I said! But she is a hen! For a long time she was a runt, and even her crest wasn't growing. I gave her vitamins, etc. and within a month she "caught up," with the others and now is a bit bigger than they are.