Hi, I live in the Montreal, Quebec region (cold winters). My wife and I have had assorted chickens for the last 10 years we treat them as pets and as a bonus have fresh eggs. We had a flock of 12 free range chickens who got wiped out last year by roaming foxes. After securing my area , I want to go with a pure breed ( my wife and I specialy enjoy polish hens) I also would like to have a rooster (we have been disapointed with the ones we have had; very aggressive towards their hens) and baby chicks; I find that they grow up to be more domesticated. What is your opinion towards this breed( the gentleness of the rooster) what other breeds do you recommend with that priority in mind. Thanks for the info Leo
Greetings, Leo, and . Pleased you joined our poultry community. I've had Polish chickens - even a Polish too, but always as part of a larger mixed flock. And as they are a smaller chicken they sometimes got picked on by the other breeds - even the rooster. So, it's anybody's guess in a flock of all Polish. You might post the question in the Polish thread in this link https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/14/general-breed-discussions-faq Perhaps an owner of the breed will have some insight. Best wishes and thanks for joining BYC!
redsoxs gave you a great link to check out. I have found the polish hens to be sweet..haven't had a rooster, so can't say. ? Good luck, that would be a fun breed to go with. Here is one of my babies from loong ago. She was a sweet little pullet here. Buff in color. Fun.
glad you have joined us. But so sorry about your losses. Wish you better luck with your upcoming flock.
Welcome to Backyard chickens. Sorry for your loss. Polish (and silkies) tend to be predator bait - with their big crests their vision is obscured so they tend to get 'picked off,' first. I think it would be a very good thing for you to post at "Canadians, check in here." thread. Bycers there would be in the best position to recommend breeds to withstand your weather, and maybe be more alert to predators.
Hello there, leo, and welcome to Backyard Chickens!! I personally have never raised Polish, but as Diva said, I can see them being perfect predator bait. I hope you can find a good breed that suits your needs. Have fun on BYC!
Welcome to BYC! It's great to have you. I would not recommend a Polish rooster. I've seen lots of them become aggressive, only a bit less common than aggressive Production Reds. If you want something equally frilly, consider a Silkie cockerel. An aggressive Silkie is very rare, and they are a very fun breed to have. They are also very easy to find, even good quality breeder specimens, as many folks in cities get them in straight run batches of chicks and cannot keep them.
