I have to talk POLISH!

[miohippus]

What do y'all think, She's under a year old

very pretty

 

[Moonchild]

What do y'all think, She's under a year old

OMG I love her!!! I wanna get some SLbantam polish this spring. Beautiful!!!!!

 

[TNBarnQueen]

TNBarnqueen, No she's not a sliver laced. Shes a blue laced.
Flower, she was sitting on a perch in both photos, but I cant remember if she holds it down or not

Well...she is adorable and very unique from the ones I have seen. I am sure you are proud of her!

 

[ramirezframing]

I looked at her yesterday and she does hold her tail up, I'll have to get some batteries and take some better pictures of her

 

[ket806]

Ok my polish friends I need some help!
I am getting started in the show world and before I really kick it off I want to learn as much as I can!
~~~
Ok so I have 2 polish Roos, one silver and one gold, that I got for fun and just wante some opinions....
•would these two be considered breed standard?
•what are some good points of the 2 birds?
•what are the bad points of the 2 birds?
•the person I got them from clipped the wings so they wouldn't fly! Will they grow back normal??
•what should I look for most in a show polish?
-----
All responses will be greatly appriciated!!

Here are some photos!

 

[ket806]

The silver I believe is bearded?

 

[flower]

My suggestion is to do research on photographing for a critique. Most people are rather busy at this time of year and your photographs are almost top views and not in focus. You might have some nice roosters there but it is difficult to tell. So patience will be needed for some proper critiques.

 

[winniem13]

ket806:
My opinion is to get a standard of perfection or ABA standard (the bantam version). Read through it several times and go to shows if there are any in your area to see examples of show quality birds. Or, do like I did and take a few to a "real show", enter them under the junior division if you have kids (you can ask for opinions from the judge and not feel so out of place in the junior division, it's just less pressure, although those juniors can have some serious competition birds!! When we entered at our first show, the judge wrote in red all over our card (defects and issues with them), and we really got a thirst for true show quality birds and have spent the last 12 months tracing down and obtaining show quality birds (after 12 months, I only have 4 truly show quality bantam polish!!!)

For yours, Silver and gold is both an approved color. The most obvious "faults" that I have seen at shows is the "bantams" are too big (should be 30oz., which is 1.875 pounds), and the "standard" ones are too small (should be 6 lbs.) That is a BIG difference, and most "backyard" polish are somewhere in between. A true show quality standard polish is much larger in life than you would expect. Weigh them and you will have a quick reference to see if they are close to size. When looking at your birds, their lacing is not very good, and their crest is not as full or as long as is written in the standard ("falling evenly with long ...feathers down the nape of the neck"). Lacing is VERY hard to pull off, according to the nice APA/ABA judge who kindly educated me at our first show....the lacing should be very thin and very delicate. If you look closely, you will see bleeding and extra bars, some feathers have thicker lacing, and some feathers don't end in a nice sharp point with even lacing. Does your golden boy have white wing feathers or is that a reflection? If it is, that would be bad.
I can't tell about their conformation since their pictures are all on the go, but just examine to see if your polish are extremely narrow or have legs that aren't straight. I can't tell this by pictures. A lot of "backyard" polish have very long necks that are out of proportion with their body (trust me, I have some). Can't tell about yours.

Their feather quality can really be improved, and they look like they need some TLC for several months before I would take them to a show. Yes, their clipped feather will grow back out, but usually only when they molt, and most chickens have already been through their molt in the fall/early winter. When these feathers grow out, some of their other tattered feathers will grow in as well. Feed them well and give them regular treats full of fat and protein to help improve their condition and help feed their feathers . Keep them happy and not crowded or in competition with other roosters (so they won't fight and damage their feathers). I wouldn't take them to a spring show unless their feather quality really improves between now and then, but maybe fall? Like I said, I really stress their diet (we will be experimenting with fermenting our feed and giving apple cider vinegar in their water), and providing them with lots of pumpkin and other naturally de-worming foods. Feed them well, and they will shine!

When you are looking for show quality polish in the future, look first and foremost at SIZE, then look for conformation, then feathering. Most people think all polish look the same, but a true show quality polish looks completely different than the backyard variety (it's like that with most birds at the shows!!!)

Good luck, and I hope I've helped. They are really fun birds and we love them. If you are truly serious about getting some show quality (I think yours will be great "backyard" polish), PM me and I can tell you a couple of resources you can try. Oh yeah, they are expensive too (trust me!), but so worth it!!!!

 

[Jungleexplorer]

I have had this hen for five years.






I bought her at a flea market just because she was so pretty. She has been a wonderful bird and still lays some eggs, but I had never been able to find a rooster for her. A couple of weeks ago I went to the poultry show in shawnee, OK. I was there for another breed, but remembered my little Polish hen and thought I would look for mate for her. There were no polish for sale in the sale area so I got a list of the owners of the show birds. I went around looking at the roos and found the one I like the most, and would you know it, he was for sale. Lucky me! Here he is. My little hen is so happy now.

 

[ChicksNherps]

I have had this hen for five years.






I bought her at a flea market just because she was so pretty. She has been a wonderful bird and still lays some eggs, but I had never been able to find a rooster for her. A couple of weeks ago I went to the poultry show in shawnee, OK. I was there for another breed, but remembered my little Polish hen and thought I would look for mate for her. There were no polish for sale in the sale area so I got a list of the owners of the show birds. I went around looking at the roos and found the one I like the most, and would you know it, he was for sale. Lucky me! Here he is. My little hen is so happy now.

gorgeous