Polish Thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PoultryQueen101]

I really want some polish to decorate my yard!!!! Anyone know of a good place to get them?

if you are going to free range them, that isnt the greatest idea. They cant see upwards. Hawks will kill them.

 

[polishmom1744]

d'uccles dont have 5 toes?

No. my bad didn't see the toe thing. D'Uccles have 4 toes.

 

[polishmom1744]

if you are going to free range them, that isnt the greatest idea. They cant see upwards. Hawks will kill them.

@Prairie Fleur
I agree w/ PoultryQueen101 hawks are a real problem for them....that being said...Mine do some ranging in the yard but we have huge shade trees that hide them from hawks & I Only recommend it when they're supervised. I like Cackle Hatchery..got some beautiful WCB...just ordered from Ideal as many people on here have gotten lovely/healthy chicks there too.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

Does it make any difference if you have a livestock guardian dog? I have a lot of trees and weed cover in the area where my chickens free range too.

 

[polishmom1744]

I have 1 wcb and 1 white polizh rooster (the 1 wcb son is nice though). The white one is 100% evil, and the wcb is only super protective of his girls.


also, @katzbantams , is the middle one wcb or solid black. If it was wcb, then it has way way way too much black in its crest. If it is black I would pluck I the white feathers out.

My BCW roo will get you...but only if he thinks you're hurting his girls...I can deal with that as he means well...but a Roosifer lives to inflict PAIN and they don't stay for long 'round here. My Goldlaced and both WCB Roos are nice but Albert is a big baby!

 

[polishmom1744]

Does it make any difference if you have a livestock guardian dog? I have a lot of trees and weed cover in the area where my chickens free range too.

yes it does...like I said mine free range but only on days I'm home. You will loose them if left out unsupervised...for example..we just had 3in of rain in an hr. the other day...I had them ranging and had to run out to the barn and make sure they were all in ...3 were so lost/blinded by wet feathers they had huddled together right under the roofline. The water running off the roof would have drown them if I hadn't been there to intervene. They are not designed to be Free Range birds...they can go out but under special circumstance, i.e shade from the sky, supervision. P.S. a guardian dog can chase off the hawk but if it lands directly on one it will be too late for the bird. I had it happen 1 time years ago and the Cock died of shock/trauma.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

yes it does...like I said mine free range but only on days I'm home. You will loose them if left out unsupervised...for example..we just had 3in of rain in an hr. the other day...I had them ranging and had to run out to the barn and make sure they were all in ...3 were so lost/blinded by wet feathers they had huddled together right under the roofline. The water running off the roof would have drown them if I hadn't been there to intervene. They are not designed to be Free Range birds...they can go out but under special circumstance, i.e shade from the sky, supervision. P.S. a guardian dog can chase off the hawk but if it lands directly on one it will be too late for the bird. I had it happen 1 time years ago and the Cock died of shock/trauma.

I would definitely agree polishmom about the free ranging only being allowed when supervised. My older polish have free ranged occasionally we do have some hawks here in UK but my other main thing is where would they end up if I wasn't there guiding them. I have found they follow my voice as I go round with them ( neighbours must think I'm mad) but with the large crest And i have some frizzle that seem to see even less!! Which means even shrubs in the garden can cause a panic I have to shout them back or who knows how far they would go. Even with this I wouldn't swap them for nothing love my polish.

 

[polishmom1744]

You hit the nail on the head...they just can't be trusted to know where they are and how to return to the coop.

 

[PoultryQueen101]

Our polish are from top stock, so they stay inside for the most part. We only let our birds range when we are home. Its usually a weekend. Sometimes we just leave them out and check on them heqr and there, but we usually sit out there. Our roosters are awesome for hawks and vultures, they make a weird screeching sound and everyone goes and hides. I would say polish are one of the worst possible free ranging birds. Thats why most of them are just bred for show.


we have 3 adults, 6 babies (2 roos, 1 for sure), and 3 newly hatched of our wcb. For the white polish, we have 1 pair and their 2 babies. Diff ages.

 

[katzbantams]

I have 1 wcb and 1 white polizh rooster (the 1 wcb son is nice though). The white one is 100% evil, and the wcb is only super protective of his girls.


also, @katzbantams , is the middle one wcb or solid black. If it was wcb, then it has way way way too much black in its crest. If it is black I would pluck I the white feathers out.

Mine? Yes it is wcb. It isn't show quality just pet quality I got him from ideal.