Polish personalities?

[3peeps]

I had a friend with a bird she thought was Polish and it was on the mean side...it became soup actually.

But my daughter loved a picture of a Polish recently and I'm rather fond of the pictures I've seen of Miss Prissy's "Elvis" (or the hubby's Elvis!).

I don't know...any comments? We live in Wisconsin, but I'd be adding new birds next spring and they will probably be getting a covered run by then. We'd most likely be getting a bird like this for an ornament.

Do they typically have any extremes of personality?

 

[silkieluvr]

I have 4 polish, and two, who we didn't handlle much, are just afraid of everything. My other two who I've handled alot since they were about 2 days old, are extremely sweet and love to be carried around everywhere. I have also had 1 polish roo, and he was sweet, but scared of his hens.LOL! He went to a nice home with a few VERY docile silkies who wouldn't boss him around.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

The polish I had were fraidy-cats too. I don't think they see well enough to be confident so they tend to be flighty. Handled correctly of course anything can be improved and one was certainly in the pet catagory, but in the run with the other hens while no human was around she was flighty like the others.

Mean roos happen in all breeds, it's part them and part how they have been handled. It's a fact of life that not all of them are family birds so as long as your daughter is aware that some roos might have to find another home go a head and get some.

 

[verthandi]

I love my polish chickens. They are a little timid and appear to not like quick movements around them. They don't mind being held and having their crests groomed.

(whoa...sorry all that photo came out way too large...off to figure out what I did.)

But now that I have showgirls... there is a lap chick! They seem to like being held and make the cutest "chicken purr" sound I have ever heard.

 

[allen wranch]

The meanest rooster I have ever owned was a silver laced Polish. The last straw was when he jumped off a roost in the coop and tried to spur me through the chicken wire barrier at eye level. He was re-homed to someone who thought he was gorgeous and didn't care that he was the devil in disquise.

I will never have another Polish roo.

One of the sweetest hens I have is a silver laced Polish. She is a little goofy and now blind, but talks up a storm. She is also very shy.

 

[Redfeathers]

I'm enjoying my three polish, one is very shy, the other two have started running up to me to see what I brought them. The white crested black is the tamest now and will jump up into my lap to eat. Daisy is a buff laced polish, she will follow the other up onto my lap but doesn't want to be touched just yet. They are nine weeks old but warming up to me more and more each day. I think maybe the trick is to buy them young and work with them every day and you can tame them easily enough.

 

[allen wranch]

My Polish were some of my first birds and I handled them a lot. The roo just turned into a maniac. ?????

 

[k625]

My 2 polish frizzle pullets were about 3mo. old when I got them, so I couldnt do the petting everyday like I did with my silkie chicks. They are now in with my silkies, and will come over to me when the silkies do, but def. dont like sudden movements. Once I can catch one, they are sweet as pie, and will sit on my lap for ever. I love them!

 

[3peeps]

Thanks everyone!

Wow, Allen Wranch...maybe it's the testosterone. ?

We'd definitely want a hen, and that's a bit of a problem since they're usually only straight run.

I'm thinking sudden movements would be a problem (possibly) since my daughter still loves jumping and running around like most young kids.

 

[allen wranch]

Because of the poofy crests, Polish have a hard time seeing. That can explain why sudden movement startles them.

My Polish hen used to walk backwards and jerk her head a lot until I trimmed her crest. After I cut it up the sides and where it hangs over her face and under her eyes, she was a different bird. Since I don't show, it didn't make any difference to me if it wasn't poofy. It did make a big difference in her though.

Her blindness was a gradual thing, probably the result of Mereks as a chick. She can see enough to stair-step up to her roost, but has a problem getting down because of depth perception. I still trim her crest to help with what ever sight she has left.

The funny thing is that she is still top hen in her pen.