Polish Rooster Integration Question

[ChickenGirl555]

I'm getting 3-4 polish chicks in April, and since where we are getting them doesn't sex them, we decided if we got 1 rooster, we might keep it. We had 1 rooster (that is now gone) but he was shy and skittish since he came from a petting farm that let little children poke, grab, and scream at them as little week-old chicks. It ruined his personality and therefore we let him (and his sister) go. But these polish may be friendlier since they will be raised from the start with us, and our first 6 are pretty friendly, sometimes too friendly that they have no fear of dangerous things!

So let's say we DID get a rooster, and we decided to keep it, would it be different/harder to integrate a brave rooster into my flock of 6 pullets? Also any tips for integrating polish?

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

there are several articles on this!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

got to the right forms

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Integrate as chicks and it won't matter as far as the rooster part. The crests may or may not be a problem depending on your flock and how big your set up is.

Crest can attract other breeds to peck them. If your birds are confined to a coop and run you may have problems.

Polish do better in their own set up or with the ability to escape. Quite a few of mine would play dead when stressed which can allow for severe pecking. Polish are odd birds to begin with.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

ohhh... i thought she was saying putting a young roo with some old hens.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Integrate as chicks and it won't matter as far as the rooster part. The crests may or may not be a problem depending on your flock and how big your set up is.

Crest can attract other breeds to peck them. If your birds are confined to a coop and run you may have problems.

Polish do better in their own set up or with the ability to escape. Quite a few of mine would play dead when stressed which can allow for severe pecking. Polish are odd birds to begin with.

Yes I'm going to set up a little pen (Covered, don't worry about hawks) right next to the run for my pullets. I will put them out for a while everyday with a heat lamp, food, and water. So they will be introduced at a very early age. Will this help ease the stress of when they make contact?

 

[Mrs. K]

What are the other kinds of chickens that you have? Sometimes standard full size birds do not mix well with polish, no matter what you do.

I have had very good luck with a one way fence inside the run. This allows the chicks themselves to make the decision when they want to try integration and for how long. If it gets too tough, they can escape to an safe zone through the one way fence. Much better than people deciding when and how to do things.

I would not do a heat lamp unless you are talking less than 2 weeks old. They will need wind protection. A wooly hen or a heating pad cave works better than a heat lamp.

Mrs K

 

[ChickenGirl555]

What are the other kinds of chickens that you have? Sometimes standard full size birds do not mix well with polish, no matter what you do.

I have had very good luck with a one way fence inside the run. This allows the chicks themselves to make the decision when they want to try integration and for how long. If it gets too tough, they can escape to an safe zone through the one way fence. Much better than people deciding when and how to do things.

I would not do a heat lamp unless you are talking less than 2 weeks old. They will need wind protection. A wooly hen or a heating pad cave works better than a heat lamp.

Mrs K

Yes I am talking about less than 2 weeks old, so they will know eachother practically their whole life. I have 2 Barred Rocks, 2 Buff orpington, 2 EE. My first integration went well, not a single drop of blood drawn. I am going to try the one way door method, but with my coop setup it’s a little hard. I can’t cut the run wire because then I’d have to replace it and it’s just a ton of work. The only thing I can think of is leaving the run door open, and making the chick-zone come out of that. Then I wouldn’t have to cut anything from the coop, and the chicks could intervene.

When the temperatures outside and the chicks’ age add up, I’ll take away the heat lamp, but the weather has been so unpredictable and cold, and I don’t want to kill the chicks. For the first 2-3 days I have them they will be indoors to figure out what the heat lamp is and to relax from the move of my local mill (where I’m getting them from) and to my house. It’s not long but I know any transportation is stressful for a 1-3 day old chick.

Would the chick-zone be a good idea? (I can’t make something inside because the door to the run is on one end and the nesting box is on the other, and both are essentials.

Edit to add: If we don't move the coop before we get the chicks (it's a tractor coop), then it will be against the house, where the sun barely touches them, so sunlight isn't a huge problem, and for wind I might put some towels over the sides or cardboard and attach it so it blocks the wind. But if I do the chick zone (is it a good idea?) then they will have access to part of the run that would be wind-free because of their height.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Hen or roo dont make a ton of difference . Polish however if getting pecked in the head can cause neuro damage because of their vaulted skulls . Since you havent had a "normal" roo I will say when a roo hits his teens his hormones are gushing. they will really bug the hens til they settle down some. This normally lasts a couple months. What kind of polish are you getting ? Do you know yet ?

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Hen or roo dont make a ton of difference . Polish however if getting pecked in the head can cause neuro damage because of their vaulted skulls . Since you havent had a "normal" roo I will say when a roo hits his teens his hormones are gushing. they will really bug the hens til they settle down some. This normally lasts a couple months. What kind of polish are you getting ? Do you know yet ?

I'm not entirely sure since the feed mill hasn't responded to my email asking about what types of polish they sell, but I'm looking for at least 1 buff laced, but what I'm open to is golden laced, white crested black, silver laced, and like I said, buff laced. My main priority is buff laced but I will polish chicks, buff laced or not. But those are what I'm looking for, no bantams. I am open to trimming their "poof" if it will help in any way.

Since you havent had a "normal" roo I will say when a roo hits his teens his hormones are gushing. they will really bug the hens til they settle down some. This normally lasts a couple months. What kind of polish are you getting ? Do you know yet ?

I was wondering if It would be easy for a cockerel to integrate to a high-rank in the pecking order since they always want to run the place. I didn't get to see this since my (skittish) cockerel had been given away right after he became mature and started mating with the pullets.