Nardole the Brave!

[Dona Worry]

What a wonderful Rooster. Nardole is the rooster everyone wishes they had. Hope when he sires some ofspring, there are more youngsters just like him.

I am already sizing up my pullets! Although I won't need another roo for a while yet.

 

[Melky]

I am already sizing up my pullets! Although I won't need another roo for a while yet.

If Nardole has breeding imperfections particularly cross beak that may not be one you want to breed so it does not occur in the offspring. Just something to think about.

 

[Callender Girl]

What a great story and what a great rooster. May Nardole always protect his flock and warm your heart!

 

[JedJackson]

Nardole the Brave is probably the best young cockerel I have ever met, with the possible exception of a rooster in my youth called King Louis.
Nardole is a Polish crested with a mild cross beak and a crooked tail, and no brains at all, but he tries.
He was supposed to be a pet for my cousin's children, and he was a great favorite called Blanche until he started crowing, but alas, my cousin lives in the middle of town and no roosters are permitted, so he went to live with cousin Dona, ie ME and I initially did not want him.
But the very first day I had him, I fell in love.
I knew nothing of quarantine, so I just chucked him in and hoped for the best. He was older than my pullets by quite a bit, and I was prepared for him to bully them and need to be removed. What I was not prepared for was just how seriously he would take his new job.
View attachment 1541747
View attachment 1541740
He would stand guard every second of every day. He would stand at the door when the girls were inside eating, and when they napped under the ladder, he would stand above them on the ramp and scan the skies.
View attachment 1541741

Once free ranging started, he learned to tidbit, and then it became his whole life. Catching bugs and calling his little flock over was what he did, when he wasn't busy watching for predators.
Which he did, with remarkable dedication, and almost unrealistic bravery.
There was one afternoon when I happened to glance out my window, and see all the chickens scatter into the bushes and overgrowth except for Nardole-- he was charging in the opposite direction, puffed up as much as his 5 month old body could fluff. Following his trajectory, I saw a fox galloping towards him!
I sent my dog out and ran outside in my house slippers. Nardole was in the Fox's mouth, but flapping and kicking for all he was worth! My dog saved the day, and my beautiful boy was wounded, but made a full recovery.
View attachment 1541743
I was astonished at both his bravery and overwhelming stupidity. He charged a fox, with no spurs, barely able to see.
He earned every bit of tlc that he recieved until his beak and eye healed.
The experience did not discourage him. If anything, it strengthened his resolve to be flock protector. Nothing was safe-- low flying airplanes were chased off the property, loud trucks on the road were threatened until they retreated, and no tractor was permitted to get passed him and into the yard. He perfected his alarm call, and the rest of the flock runs whenever he uses it.
He is always on guard.
View attachment 1541745
I brought home a feral hen with three new chicks, and Nardole was immediately interested. Despite keeping her at a distance in a smaller pen, he could always see her and was fascinated.
Then, when the flock was permitted to gather together and free range for the first time, he was immediately interested in the chicks-- talking to them softly, offering them crickets. He is SURE they are his own.
View attachment 1541746
I was worried he would attack them, and was prepared, once again, to intervene. Once again, he has defied my expectations in the most charming of ways.
He looks silly, with his huge crest in front of his eyes, with his crooked tail and funky beak. He is high maintenance, needing burrs removed and his beak trimmed.
View attachment 1541742
I wouldn't trade him for the world.

It does look like he takes his job very seriously lol. I think the oddballs often turn out to be the best and truest personalities, with chickens and with people. He's a one in a million rooster!

His personality and behavior aren't typical for Polish males, which can be either too skittish or too aggressive. As with every other breed, you get a few good ones along the bad ones. You got lucky with Nardole.

 

[Flockandfowl46]

Thx for sharing that story hun that's sweet I always like hearing lovely things like this

 

[Dona Worry]

If Nardole has breeding imperfections particularly cross beak that may not be one you want to breed so it does not occur in the offspring. Just something to think about.

It seems like crossbeak is particularly common in Polish chickens. I base this off nothing more than the number of free, extremely crossbeaked pullets I was offered via Facebook when looking for some Polish hens, so I may be wrong, but I didn't see any crossbeaked EE's, for example.
So if I DID breed him for a keeper roo, it would not be to another Polish, and his crossbeak is mild enough that it is hardly an issue--I have to pull burrs off of him almost nightly because for some reason he gets COVERED with them (but literally no one else has this problem) and I just pop the trimmers in my pocket and check his beak before I put him down.
This defect didn't occur until after the fox attack, where he cracked his lower beak rather badly, and I do wonder if it is truly a genetic defect, or because of the injury? It does seem like it's a problem that can take it's sweet time to appear, and very common among his breed, but I do wonder sometimes...

It does look like he takes his job very seriously lol. I think the oddballs often turn out to be the best and truest personalities, with chickens and with people. He's a one in a million rooster!

His personality and behavior aren't typical for Polish males, which can be either too skittish or too aggressive. As with every other breed, you get a few good ones along the bad ones. You got lucky with Nardole.

He isn't cuddly, and he can be skittish when startled-- my kitten jumped out of the bushes at him and got a single tail feather and his reaction was less than dignified-- but as long as I keep the feathers in front of his eyes trimmed, he is a brave little soul.

I do notice that he is much more relaxed when in the covered run, so I think that next year, when the Polish chicks that I've ordered are hopefully laying size, I will keep him in an enclosed run with then, and let him relax.

 

[JedJackson]

It seems like crossbeak is particularly common in Polish chickens. I base this off nothing more than the number of free, extremely crossbeaked pullets I was offered via Facebook when looking for some Polish hens, so I may be wrong, but I didn't see any crossbeaked EE's, for example.
So if I DID breed him for a keeper roo, it would not be to another Polish, and his crossbeak is mild enough that it is hardly an issue--I have to pull burrs off of him almost nightly because for some reason he gets COVERED with them (but literally no one else has this problem) and I just pop the trimmers in my pocket and check his beak before I put him down.
This defect didn't occur until after the fox attack, where he cracked his lower beak rather badly, and I do wonder if it is truly a genetic defect, or because of the injury? It does seem like it's a problem that can take it's sweet time to appear, and very common among his breed, but I do wonder sometimes...

He isn't cuddly, and he can be skittish when startled-- my kitten jumped out of the bushes at him and got a single tail feather and his reaction was less than dignified-- but as long as I keep the feathers in front of his eyes trimmed, he is a brave little soul.

I do notice that he is much more relaxed when in the covered run, so I think that next year, when the Polish chicks that I've ordered are hopefully laying size, I will keep him in an enclosed run with then, and let him relax.

Yeah, the impaired vision is what makes them startle so easily. That is normal. It is a good idea to keep Polish where they can't be taken by hawks. Trimming their crests helps, but they will still have impaired vision and be more vulnerable to predators.

I don't see why you shouldn't raise chicks from him if that is what you want to do. His cross beak is very minor compared to most cases. You can evaluate the chicks when they come-- if you get lots with crossed beaks, then it's probably best not to breed him. If the chicks don't have that problem, then no problem. The genes for cross beaks may or may not still be present in the offspring, but if it is confined to your own flock and the birds aren't sold to others, what's the harm?

 

[Dona Worry]

Yeah, the impaired vision is what makes them startle so easily. That is normal. It is a good idea to keep Polish where they can't be taken by hawks. Trimming their crests helps, but they will still have impaired vision and be more vulnerable to predators.

I don't see why you shouldn't raise chicks from him if that is what you want to do. His cross beak is very minor compared to most cases. You can evaluate the chicks when they come-- if you get lots with crossed beaks, then it's probably best not to breed him. If the chicks don't have that problem, then no problem. The genes for cross beaks may or may not still be present in the offspring, but if it is confined to your own flock and the birds aren't sold to others, what's the harm?

Is crossbeak a recessive gene?
And am I correct that it takes a while to show up?

 

[lilmillefleur]

It seems like crossbeak is particularly common in Polish chickens. I base this off nothing more than the number of free, extremely crossbeaked pullets I was offered via Facebook when looking for some Polish hens, so I may be wrong, but I didn't see any crossbeaked EE's, for example.
So if I DID breed him for a keeper roo, it would not be to another Polish, and his crossbeak is mild enough that it is hardly an issue--I have to pull burrs off of him almost nightly because for some reason he gets COVERED with them (but literally no one else has this problem) and I just pop the trimmers in my pocket and check his beak before I put him down.

I may have to agree with you on Polish having crossbeak more often than others. I ordered 2 bantam polish from MPC and one of them developed crossbeak. It was the smalllest one in the flock, half the size of the other polish, and I think it could not eat enough because the poor thing did not live very long. We were too late when we realized that it was suffering, unfortunately. It died the day before its scheduled euthanasia date

 

[Dona Worry]

I may have to agree with you on Polish having crossbeak more often than others. I ordered 2 bantam polish from MPC and one of them developed crossbeak. It was the smalllest one in the flock, half the size of the other polish, and I think it could not eat enough because the poor thing did not live very long. We were too late when we realized that it was suffering, unfortunately. It died the day before its scheduled euthanasia date

Oh, that's so sad!