polish being picked on

[tmasker]

I think I will keep the "Exotic Chickens" as we call them....in their own condo

They get along just fine. I even saw them grooming each other. Too cute to see four fluffy white girls with Polly in the middle of a dust bowl they dug. Too bad I couldn't get my camera quick enough!
BTW.. I almost lost Polly about two weeks ago from Moldy food. What a scare! As you can see, she is fine and dandy now

Love your photos.... such pretty coloring! Thanks for sharing

 

[Elphaba2140]

I see. Yours has a lot less feathers than mine. Well, I guess I would say keep an eye on her.

 

[maybejoey]

my chicken (henrietta, which is a girls name but he is a boy) has the same problem. The other chickens pulled out most of his tail feathers and he was bleeding so I seperated him and they stopped for a while, but they started doing it again only this time there pulling out his head feathers, so it looks like he has a bald spot. What should I do I really dont want to have to seperate him again so what can I do.

 

[phasian]

While I have a large flock of several breeds and sizes together, I occasionally have a Polish or two that get their heads picked on. My hypothesis is that the other, non-crested birds see these headdresses as something akin to a cowlick and just want to make that chicken look 'normal'. (Humans often smooth down our friend's or family member's hair if it's sticking up funny.) For me, I have found that smearing some aloe vera on their heads stops this behaviour. It's bitter stuff and my chickens don't seem to enjoy the taste.

 

[maybejoey]

Thanks for the tip i will try it and see how it works.

 

[andthenhen]

I have a 15 week old Polish, named Beaker, who is definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. I have 2 other hens (BR & GLW) that are the same age. A few weeks ago the pecking got out of control and they had pecked at her protuberance to the point that she was bleeding!

I got advice to buy a product called "Blu-Kote" at my local feed store. It is really for horses, but works on chickens. It comes in a spray which you spray onto the wound. It is a deep blue/purple color and it does a few things: it dyes the skin & feathers around it purple because once chickens see red blood they won't stop pecking. It also has healing medicine in it for the wound, and it tastes horrible to chickens, so they stop pecking right away. This is the only thing that worked for my polish and I think it saved her life!

One warning I would give is to wear gloves when you spray because it dyes your hands!

 

[maybejoey]

My rooster henrietta is being picked on, I tried the aloe vera trick and that worked really good for a week or so but I guess they got used to the taste and are doing it again. There are no other roosters though. What should I do, it looks like he has a big bald spot, I feel so bad. Please help:hi

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/102380_pics_005.jpg

 

[yinzerchick]

I have a polish roo, Mick, he's top cock so far. My big GLW roo, Earl, gives him his space and Mick is definately the one going after all the girls. (moves like jagger!) lol. So Far he hasn't been picked on as far as I see. I'll keep my fingers crossed! Hope you figure something out to help your poor polish. Can you really just trim the feathers out of their eyes so they can see better? With scissors?

 

[TouchO'Lass]

Quote:

This post is really interesting...

I have 4 WCBPolish (one is a roo), 5 EE's and 6 BR's, all about 17 wks. The Roo, Walter, will chase the smallest of the Polish, but she just runs behind the hay bale until Walter finds some other entertainment. Other than the occasional race for a choice treat or a temporary fluster, the Polish don't get picked on any more than the others.

Oddly enough, WALTER is the only one that has ever been missing feathers! I've never seen the ladies peck at him, but the back of his head has been bald for at least 6 weeks. I've dusted them all, even tho' noone else is scratching or missing feathers; I treated with Blu-Kote until he looked like an aging punk rocker

, but it made no difference. I finally just decided to watch and see.

The feathers will almost all grow back, leaving a bare patch at the back and looking like a bad comb-over, then suddenly it will be almost all bald again. THEN he looks like a monk with his little halo of white and his stubbly pink pate...
DH says, "Well of COURSE he's missing his hair! He lives with FOURTEEN WOMEN! He pulls it out himself!

"

I had read the same about Polish often being the underdogs, but I really haven't seen them picked on more than the others. Maybe because BR's and EE's are generally easy going kinda hens?

 

[drdoolittle]

I have the same problem with my Polish. I am trying to integrate my 4 Polish with my silkies and showgirls, and my showgirl roo keeps picking on the Polish----mainly the roo. Everyone else in the pen doesn't seem to notice that the Polish look different. I may have to build another pen for the Polish-----I'd like to do that anyway so that I can bred them. The pen they were in before I need for my broody hens----but right now that is where the showgirl roo spends his nights.