Do your polish get picked on?

[AK Michelle]

My polish have all had their head feathers picked out. I've never had the time to sit and watch and see who's pulling out the girls head feathers. It could be a roo or another hen. They have been in the coop a lot over the winter and I know they get bored and pick at each other when they are cooped up.

A friend is wanting polish and nothing but polish and she would not have a roo, only hens (I think) If she gets all polish will they pick each others head feathers out?

 

[2DogsFarm]

No Polish, but my Houdan resembles Curly Joe Stooge after a Winter in the coop with her non-crested flockmates.
I understand they were bored, but Sheesh!

I gave up Blu-koting her head - she hated it and it didn't seem to discourage them much.

She is sloooooooowly growing her beautiful poofy crest back now but the rest of those wenches still pick out her yumyum tasty bloodfeathers.
So she has a bald crown, then way at the back 2 long feathers, like your Aunt Esther's favorite hat.

All she needs to complete the outfit is orthopedic pumps and a costume jewelry brooch...

 

[AK Michelle]

Quote:

that is quite the visual.

 

[feathers4fun]

I had a polish hen once and, yes my other hens did pick on her, which is why I never got more.

 

[Minniechickmama]

funny you should ask. I just put about 50 chicks together this weekend in a new, bigger brooder and the Splash Polish cockerel went after EVERYONE. He is claiming top of the roost and not backing down! I hope he is better acting as he gets older or in the pot he goes!

 

[Illia]

My White Crested Black Polish do not get picked on. . . My one Silver Laced hen gets picked on though. In fact, she's gotten to such the state that now she's trying a new method of being paranoid and aggressive at the same time to other hens - If they bother her space when she's scratching around, eating, perching, etc - She'll scream like some raptor at them, or start bickering on and on, or attack them. Very interesting, as she was once picked on so much that her crest was bloody.

 

[Woods_Woman]

I dont have problems with my polish getting picked on, but I keep a small flock, and I keep bantams with the polish. Right now housed with the polish is bantam cochin & Oegb. I have more polish in my brooder which will be housed either separately or with silkies & the bantam Cochin.

 

[calicokat]

I have a mixed up flock that included 2 standard polish and this spring we added 2 banty polish - so far no one has picked on their pretty poufs. The new chicks just get the normal picking on for being new, but no one is targeting their top feathers.

I always feel bad for them when it's rainy and they wander out in it any way -- talk about a BAD hair day!

 

[RhodeRunner]

Mine did. I took months to grow in my hens lovely poofy head, and about fifteen min for it to get yanked out.

The rest of the flock seemed to hate her (never say anything like it, and had birds for years), so I found her a new home, and decided to stay away from the Polish. And was it just mine, or are they dumb as rocks?

 

[Hozer]

I was given 2 polish bantie hens as a rescue...and yes, they are notorious for being a little on the dumb side...to put it nicely. One had her crest pretty much picked. I kept them in quarantine for 1 month and the one's crest was pretty much feathered out again, but not completely out of pins. I put them in with my 16 standard chickens and within 1 hour most of those yummy crest feathers were plucked out again. I learned a valuable lesson....let those feathers harden out. also, one young rooster mistook them for younger roosters and tried to fight them (he went to the stew pot).

I blended them in by putting in a seperate "dog house" with an opening just large enough for them...with their own water and feed inside. This acted as their sanctuary where they could go to avoid bullying. Within about 3 days there were blended in. They are still at the bottom of the pecking order, not very bright, and very flighty, but they are good layers of medium sized white eggs.