I have to talk POLISH!

[NanaBit]

Welcome. Are your hens producing eggs these days? Ours have stopped for quite awhile. Like three months.

 

[Thomas423]

Mine went through a molt about a month ago and have stopped laying. Last year they did the same thing and started laying again in January.

 

[seminolewind]

This is my young polish hen. She is 5-6 months. I've never had one before and I've only had her for a few weeks but I thought I would share. I find her very sweet, not very smart but she wants to be friends with everyone.

I've found that a nice haircut in the front makes them "smarter", LOL

 

[rosewolf22002]

Mine stopped laying about a month ago and have just started again. They were molting.

 

[seminolewind]

One of my Polish girls has been following my feet around. I trimmed her bangs today. Now she's a different girl!!! She keeps looking up at things - it's a new world!

 

[Georgia Boy 1970]

Just wanted to show off my polish rooster.He is buff laced polish rooster X red crested red polish hen cross.
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[welasharon]

Just wanted to show off my polish rooster.He is buff laced polish rooster X red crested red polish hen cross.​

He's cool looking.

 

[powersurbanfarm]

Hi Everyone,
My name is Jen and I am new here. I just wanted to share a few pics of my new white crested black polish pullet Cricket. We named her that because she is really flighty and when the other girls leave her behind (since her crest is SO big she can hardly see even though I trimmed her feathers recently) she makes this really cute chirp sound. Enjoy.
(10/8/12 the day after I got her. The guy I got her from said she was about 8-9 weeks old)

 

[PrairieChickens]

I wish I'd been able to find this thread yesterday. I did a search of the forums and couldn't find anything that'd been active within the past several months, so I created a thread thinking there was a need

Since that thread is swiftly (and rightly) vanishing into the abyss, here's my Polish.



Chicky Gaga


When we purchased our six Polish chicks on a whim, my mother said as we were walking to the car, "We HAVE to name one of them Gaga." It wasn't long at all before we determined that the name Chicky Gaga would go to a tiny, fearless blond peep, who was so outgoing and friendly that she would literally run into your hands when you reached for her. Chicky Gaga never lost her fearless attitude, and to this day remains brazenly undaunted by people, cats, or unfamiliar surroundings. Of course, this means I have to keep a close eye on her, to make sure she doesn't stand up to critters that wish her genuine ill, but her easy-going attitude means she'll make a wonderful pet for outings and educational efforts.

Chicky Gaga is the only chicken in our flock of more than 20 who comes when she's called by name, and she follows me around the yards as faithfully as any dog, even though I rarely have treats for her.

Variety: Buff Laced Polish
Distinguishing Characteristics: One dark gray feather in the back of her crest
Personality: Fearless, friendly
Favorite Snack: Black crickets



Bubbles



Nearly identical to Chicky Gaga in appearance, Bubbles was originally part of a trio of chicks named Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup. Buttercup turned out to be a boy, Blossom was renamed to Tina Eggturner, but Bubbles remained... Bubbles. While Chicky Gaga was outgoing and fearless, Bubbles was timid and shy, avoiding being handled until one fateful day when she and my mother had a cuddling session in the springtime sun. Ever since, Bubbles has been quietly affectionate, sidling up beside those who enter her run in the hopes of being pet an cuddled. Unlike many of the other chickens who shy away from contact, Bubbles loves nothing more than a nice massage and hug.

Variety: Buff Laced Polish
Distinguishing Characteristics: Missing the tip of one toe since birth.
Personality: Quietly affectionate, good natured
Favorite Snack: Tomatoes








Aretha Chicken



Aretha Chicken started showing her true attitude at just two weeks of age. Already sassy and full of spirit, she would make sure her flockmates respected her authority and each other, intervening whenever things got too rambunctious in the brooder. When the protective plastic came off the brooder door and the chicks saw real sunshine for the first time, Aretha would squeeze up against the edge of the brooder to bask in its warm glow, and when the chicks were old enough to go outside, she was the first to take to the outdoors and the last to go back inside at night.

Aretha took an instant liking to my husband, even though she was handled the most by my mom and me. Even now, if she hears my husband's voice, she comes running full-charge, with her head heald low to the ground and her little legs pumping. She has a habit of inspecting everyone and everything that enters her domain, including cats, shoes, new objects in the run, and food, and has earned the nickname "Inspector Chicken" as a result. She is, by far, the most serious chicken I have ever met.


Variety: Silver Laced Polish
Distinguishing Characteristics: Striking black and white feathers
Personality: Very serious, investigative
Favorite Snack: Anything that passes inspection




Elvis Poultry



Elvis Poultry was a "Surprise Rooster". Originally believed to be a pullet, we named him "Buttercup", promptly changing his name to Elvis when we realized he was sprouting a rooster's 'do. His comical crow and smaller stature aside, Elvis is a rooster full of personality, not shy at all with the ladies or even the other roo's. He even challenged me a few times, but that was dealt with in the usual way--with bribery. A few snuggles and treats later, and he's back to being my best pal.

Ironically, it was originally Aretha that we feared would turn out to be a rooster, because she was developing so much quicker than Elvis was. A surprise in more ways than one, Elvis turned out to be the rooster in the flock, but as long as he stays as charming as he is now, he is in no danger of being rehomed or sent to freezer camp.


Variety: Silver Laced Polish
Distinguishing Characteristics: Handsome 80's band hair style
Personality: Spirited and energetic. Likes to act tough, but really isn't.
Favorite Snack: Baked Lays Potato Chips




Buck Buck Bjork




Buck Buck Bjork never really took to human handling, but is content to follow me around the run and accept treats from my hand, though she does so with caution. She is quiet and reserved around the other chickens as a rule, but can be prone to bursts of energy and confidence when she gets her crest trimmed and can see what's going on around her. Her best friend was Tina Eggturner, who sadly fell victim to an opossum in October 2012. Since then, she has mostly kept to herself, though Bubbles has been keeping her company and she will follow me around the run when I'm there. Ever a homebody, she rarely ventures beyond the run, and tends to prefer to hang out on top of her "fort" while the other chickens free range.


Variety: Gold Laced Polish
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black and gold feathers with distinct white feathers in the back of her crest
Personality: Quiet and reserved, a homebody.
Favorite Snack: Pretty much anything--she isn't picky




Tina Egg Turner (In Memory)



Pretty much identical to her flockmate Bjork in appearance and personality, Tina Eggturner was inseparable from her twin and could always be found nearby. Shy and reluctant to be held, she never really took to human contact, though she was known to hop into my dad's lap now and then when she was a chick. Originally named Blossom, she was renamed by a friend of mine who insisted, "she's not Blossom--she's Tina", a name which suited her quite well since she seemed to love to stand in the middle of the run and sing at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason at all.

Ironically, Tina Eggturner never had the opportunity to lay her first egg. She chose to sleep outside one fateful night when an opossum came to call, and that was the unfortunate end of our friend. We will miss her company and her song.


Variety: Gold Laced Polish
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black and gold feathers with more brown than her friend Bjork
Personality: Shy and retiring, a homebody.
Favorite Snack: Pretty much anything

 

[seminolewind]

Jen, Cricket is really cute! I just gave one a bang trim, and seeing has changed her. I think they are so different when they can see.

Prairie Chickens, those are awesome pictures. Did you join the photography thread yet? Someone at work just asked me why I'm getting a nice new camera and I said "to photograph my chickens",, LOL