Polish chickens and cold winter weather

[garyat1965]

To add interest to our flock we have white crested black, buff laced, and golden laced Polish--4 total Polish among 50 standard size chickens.
To prepare for Michigan winters, I'm preparing the coops for winter, but wonder about any problems Polish chickens might have--crests freezing etc-- in snowy, rainy weather.
Do Polish breeds need more special attention in winter than other standard breeds like wyandottes, RIR, New Hampshires, Leghorns, Australorps? What can we do to make sure the Polish chickens don't suffer in the Michigan winter weather?
Anyone else have experience with Polish chickens in cold climates??

As always, thanks so much for your feedback.

 

[beckt]

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.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

no, they are fine in the winter, being from Poland, they are native or oringinated from a cold climate to start with. Never heard of anyone having trouble with them in any climate really, hot or cold

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

Being from a bit further north than you.
We have little problems with them all we have to watch for is that if we use a heated dog bowl we put the chicken waterer in it or they will get thier crests dipped in water then it freezes to they have Icicles hanging off of thier heads. If we see the icicles we then melt it by hand.

As with all chickens we just make sure that they have thawed watter and a draft free coop. Some of ours like to go out in the snow and some don't.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

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.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
LOL, Just slightly more north right!
Yes obviously we have no problems with anything here, I was speaking of my northern buddies experiences with them, but yep, frozen crest are all they have reported.
To combat that, they trim the crest back in the winter on the ones that are bad about getting them wet.

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

Quote:
LOL, Just slightly more north right!
Yes obviously we have no problems with anything here, I was speaking of my northern buddies experiences with them, but yep, frozen crest are all they have reported.
To combat that, they trim the crest back in the winter on the ones that are bad about getting them wet.

I was refering to Michigan when I said slightly more north but it does work for you to.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
LOL, Just slightly more north right!
Yes obviously we have no problems with anything here, I was speaking of my northern buddies experiences with them, but yep, frozen crest are all they have reported.
To combat that, they trim the crest back in the winter on the ones that are bad about getting them wet.

I was refering to Michigan when I said slightly more north but it does work for you to.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

A covered run is best...I've lost a few standard Houdan to bad weather...but I had my bantams last winter and they did fine. I did not let them outside, though--they were locked in all winter with a 100w light above the roost.

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

Ours like to play in the snow. So the have the runn outside and we cover part of it with a tarp so the have thier choice. It all depends on the personality of the specific birds involved.