Polish Maintenance Questions

[oregonn8v]

We are getting our first chicks today and my daughter wants a Golden Polish. My wife and I have read that they are high maintenance birds due to their feathering. Must stay dry, more susceptible to mites, need to be bathed and dried carefully, have vision problems due to their head feathers, etc. Can anyone give me some insight as to how much more attention or maintenance they require? We are also getting a couple of Wyandottes, an Australorp, and EE, and possible something else.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Eric

 

[Illia]

If you're getting a Gold Laced Polish from a hatchery, you won't need to worry too much about anything but it being at the bottom of the pecking order. Hatchery polish tend to have a lot less crest feathering, which allows them to see more. Our Silver Laced only requires her crest to be trimmed in the front so she can see the hens that peck her. (last time her head was bloody

) Otherwise I don't have any other troubles with the bearded polish. Their crests aren't as bad as my WCB's.

Also, it rains a LOT here, and even with that, our Silver Laced doesn't get as droppy of a mess with her crest as the WCBs. . . Thus she never had to have it tied up with a hairtie.

 

[Bantimna]

I would suggest them, they are cute

I agree with Illia.

 

[CrestedHorizonPoultry]

Hatchery Polish are not going to have as much of an issue seeing but it they do you can trim the feathers. Mites effect all poultry not just polish. You will really enjoy them. When I first got our Polish someone said to me that the boy will look like a school boy late for class when he runs. Enjoy them!!

 

[chickendude]

My silver laced polish roo is a very gentle soul. But he is with out a doubt on the bottom of the pecking order. As we speak I am having a terrible time trying to stop 6 RIR hens from tearing all of his tail feathers out. It is so bad now that has flesh wounds and totally stopped crowing. I also trimmed his crown feathers to help him see his attackers but it only helped for a short time. Great birds but in my opinion I would never again mix them with other breed birds. They are simply too fragile.

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

Our hatchery Polish are mid flock for the pecking order. The Polish roo is third in line on the roo side of pecking order. But he continually has to fight for it. For a while he was top but then fell from that lofty position. He has to fight a silkie and two pheonix to get third and keep it. The Faverolle and a commercal roo are 1 and 2.
He is very gentle and good with the girls. He only has issues with the roos trying to take his position.

Here in Ontario it has been a warmer and wetter that normally but he was out most days even at -20 C.

 

[Celtic Hill]

Awe pretty Roo, i would love one like him for my girls coming in! Is that a leash on him?

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

Quote:
It was a string so my daughter could get a good picture with out him running away.

 

[Celtic Hill]

Quote:
It was a string so my daughter could get a good picture with out him running away.

Ohhh gotchya i felt bad after chasing the roo next door around, i just wanted to get a picture of him! lol, he's not so freindly!

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

We had a roo that we sent to freezer camp last year. After he started fogging everybody. Go to feed him and he would hit you. Bend over to change the water and he would flog you. We were not putting up with it and were not going to have one of the kids get injured by him.