Polish chickens and cold winter weather

[Davlyn]

Hi. I am interested in adding some Polish to my flock. I live in NH. anyone here from NH ? I'll plan on ordering from MPC in the early spring.

 

[Mac14]

I'm thinking about the same thing.

 

[Wetmorechick]

This will be my first winter having the Polish Crested Breed. I feel pretty confident that they will be fine as long as they are dry and have a draft free coop. Also, from Michigan too.

 

[Stedman]

Hi. I am interested in adding some Polish to my flock. I live in NH. anyone here from NH ? I'll plan on ordering from MPC in the early spring.

How did your polish fare in the New Hampshire weather?

 

[chickiemama27]

Some of ours have been problem birds, others have been totally fine. The biggest (if not, only) problem with Polish, in winters, has been that some of their crests do freeze. If the bird has a habit of dipping their head in their waterer or gets it wet, it can freeze. The only real issue it makes is some minor sight restriction and a big annoyance. It's almost like icicles hanging off their crests. I notice that over night the feathers seem to un-freeze and it looks better again in the morning. But I've also had some birds that do perfectly well. It all depends.

Can you trim their crest? We have 2 for the first time and because they bump into things, I trim it around their eyes so they can see.

 

[Jrmoser]

I live in Indiana and have had a standard polish hen going on six years now. She does as well as all the others in the winter. I also have a bantam polis hen going on four years and she does just as well.
Forgot to add that I do not heat the coops in the winter at all.

I also live in Northern Indiana, years ago during a pretty cold snap, (nothing like what we are experiencing in these artic blasts!) my 1 polish rooster died and the rest of the flock did fine. He wasn't sick, just went out to put them in at night and he was down. He died within hours. I read somewhere after that, that they aren't as hardy in or near 0 to sub 0° temps. But I am far from an expert, that's just been my experience. I have polish again now and have kept them in and a heat bulb on in the coop during this current attic blast week. They'll get to go out finally today as it is too be above 20° !!! yaaaah!