Crested Polish - ? about 'covers' around bottom of crest feathers

[Donna in Montana]

I hope I picked the right place to post this. It isn't a disease... just something I need to know if I should deal with it or if it's natural.

In April I bought 4 White Crested Black Polish chicks to get some new blood into the group (although I have since read they aren't really that inclined to have babies). So many of my chickens are related.

I have two of each sex. The hens have lovely little bouffant doos but the guys have scalp showing and a yellow 'encasement' around the bottom of their longer crest feathers next to the scalp. It seems I had read once of this being a problem needing attention when feathers had been cut (like on wings) and the chickens molted. I tried to gently pull one of these off of the feather but it didn't want to move at all. Is this just what Polish roos head feathers look like? The hens are so pretty and fluffy. At first I thought the first roo showing this was getting pecked on but that isn't the case. Both guys having this makes me wonder if that's just the way they are?

They're such sweetie chickens. I had the group inside the house for several weeks so they're pretty tame. The Polish can't see well with those head feathers and will give a little squawk when I pick them up but then are quite peaceful in my arm. I hate the thought of trying to pull those things off their feathers but don't want to hurt them.

Thanks in advance any information you can give me..
Donna in Montana

 

[jettgirl24]

Based on your description it sounds like the feathers are still encased in a little bit their keratin sheath. You'll notice when new feathers come in they start out encased in a kind of waxy sheath... This is the keratin sheath. It surrounds the feather while it is forming and will flake off as the feather becomes fully formed. It sounds like their crest feathers still have a little of that on the ends, perhaps because they are in a place that is a little bit difficult to groom?

Yours sound like the feathers have grown in more, but do they look kind of like this?

If so that is totally normal and I would think that the rest will come off eventually as your birds groom and dust bathe.

 

[Donna in Montana]

Dear Jetgirl...

Thanks so much. Yes, I'm pretty sure that's what I'm seeing although the sheath is all one color, yellow. They seem to be on all of the crested feathers. None are totally free of the sheath. It sure feels stuck on but perhaps it will loosen up with time. They're about twelve weeks old.

Note! My eggs (7) are hatching out today! Yippee! I have three in the brooder box, two still in the incubator getting dry and the last two have pips... I know not to help them out but wish I could.

These chicks are from Jack and Jill whose mother is Oreo, my favorite hen I finally found out recently (on this site) is a Cochin (black and white). Jill has a lot of light brown on her and Jack looks like all the other roos Oreo has had. The black/white on the chest and legs and beautiful colored feathers on back with dark blue/green/black tail. I just had to see what these eggs had inside of them. Since Jill had no interest in sitting on them I took them. I have a little brown hen that's been sitting on one egg quite steadily. Hopefully that egg will hatch very soon so I can give these babies to her. Her sister has one chick she's been caring for quite nicely. All of Oreo's girls have been very good mothers.

Next spring I'll be looking for more Cochin at our Murdocks to get some new blood in my flock. Just love those birds!

Thanks again for taking the time to take/post a photo and your reply!

Donna in Helena, MT

 

[earnhardtlvr]

Quote:
I have the polish also. I love them. They r so funny. This is my first experience with chickens. When I saw pics of the polish I fell in love. I had 4, but 1 died.

When they were babies I was going to name them all Roadrunner! They were so fast running around that brooder. Can u post some pics of urs?

 

[Donna in Montana]

Can u post some pics of urs?

I'd love to but can't see how to on this reply page??? I haven't done a lot of posting yet, doesn't this site require so many postings to be able to put a picture on a post?

 

[earnhardtlvr]

U can post mpics after 10 posts...so u should b able to. Here r the directions on how to post pics on here.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=504


Here r a few pics of mine: I have had them since they were day olds and r now about 15 weeks old!

I have 2 girls and a boy. Lady Gaga, Captain Terri, & Don King. I wish I would have had my camera with me tonight. Lady Gaga let me pick her up w/o a fuss and I held her in my arms upside down like a baby and was rubbing her chest & head and she was making little cooing noises!

That's the first time she has let me hold her and do that. I'll try to remember to take my camera tomorow night and see if she will let me do that again!

 

[Donna in Montana]

Thanks earnhardtlvr...

Took awhile to get the hang of it (was downloading slower then I'd expected) but here's a couple of pictures of my White Crested Black Polish and then my darling Oreo and her current baby.

Regarding my babies hatching today... six of seven eggs have hatched. That last egg has the pip showing but it hasn't changed all day. How sad to think about the little thing getting this far along to living and dying at the last bit. I'll let the egg be until tomorrow morning... late... and unplug the incubator. This should be the last of my chicks for this year unless some catastrophe happens.

(Next time I'll use the thumb size so it won't take up so much space)

Thanks again for the link. Enjoyed your pics!

Donna

Edited to add one more picture of one of the Polish chicks on the day I brought them home..

 

[nurse_turtle]

A bit partial to the white crested Polish too!

 

[earnhardtlvr]

Oh they r sooooooo adorable! Don't resize the pics...they r so much easier to look at and see all the pretty feathering and colors and stuff! LOL Thanks for sharing ur pics too!

 

[earnhardtlvr]

Quote:
Cuties!!!!!!!!!