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

[Sylvester017]

well by sad i mean kinda skinny and some of their butts are bald. one has 3 feathers sticking out and another has none, just skin. i wonder if its just the season because i didnt notice any picking and plucking. ill go try to take some pictures

Since you didn't have your birds since they were chicks but after they were a few months old, do a thorough health check. Check for tiny parasites like lice/mites and treat with organic Poultry Protector (safe to use as often as needed), feed them extra protein or a feather enhancement feed to help them with feather regrowth in case they are recovering from molt, give them ONE drop on the side of their beak of no-iron children's Poly-Vi-Sol vitamins 2x week, and after they have completely regrown their feathers treat them for worms (after molt). I massage vitamin E oil into my hen's legs and feet (rather than greasy vaseline or oily olive oil) about once a month at roost time so the vitamin can absorb into their skin overnight (vaseline/cooking oils tends to get grease all over feathers and dust bath dirt sticks more to them) - our vet says the vitamin E oil (and/or vitamin A oil) is better than vaseline for scaly leg mite protection because the vitamins add benefits to the hens' skin (legs, toes, beaks, combs, wattles too). Using both the vitamin E and Poultry Protector have kept our birds lice/mite free. There are good directions on the Poultry Protector on how to use it on both birds and their coop/nestboxes.

 

[ftpagain]

Since you didn't have your birds since they were chicks but after they were a few months old, do a thorough health check. Check for tiny parasites like lice/mites and treat with organic Poultry Protector (safe to use as often as needed), feed them extra protein or a feather enhancement feed to help them with feather regrowth in case they are recovering from molt, give them ONE drop on the side of their beak of no-iron children's Poly-Vi-Sol vitamins 2x week, and after they have completely regrown their feathers treat them for worms (after molt). I massage vitamin E oil into my hen's legs and feet (rather than greasy vaseline or oily olive oil) about once a month at roost time so the vitamin can absorb into their skin overnight (vaseline/cooking oils tends to get grease all over feathers and dust bath dirt sticks more to them) - our vet says the vitamin E oil (and/or vitamin A oil) is better than vaseline for scaly leg mite protection because the vitamins add benefits to the hens' skin (legs, toes, beaks, combs, wattles too). Using both the vitamin E and Poultry Protector have kept our birds lice/mite free. There are good directions on the Poultry Protector on how to use it on both birds and their coop/nestboxes.

thank you!!!






ill try to get close up pictures when i have a helper. maybe its just me not knowing what exactly they supposed to look like but their faces look odd too

 

[blackgoat]

I think a couple of those look like roosters. They have pointed crest feathers, and the females have rounder crest feathers. Those are older than mine, I'd say they are at least 4 months.

 

[ftpagain]

I think a couple of those look like roosters. They have pointed crest feathers, and the females have rounder crest feathers. Those are older than mine, I'd say they are at least 4 months.

the guy said that 2 white ones where roosters but there are three white so I'm not sure which.


there are really goofy!!!!!!

 

[blackgoat]

the guy said that 2 white ones where roosters but there are three white so I'm not sure which.


there are really goofy!!!!!! 

It looks like the two in the first picture.

 

[mrchicks]

My best guess: The silver in the back and the one in the front are roos. The golden laced towards the back/left of the first picture is a rooster.

Their faces look normal. Polish have really large, cavernous nostrils. It does make them look quite different.

 

[Sylvester017]

the guy said that 2 white ones where roosters but there are three white so I'm not sure which.


there are really goofy!!!!!!

Your Polish are adorable. I received a couple pullets a few years ago (one white Leghorn and one Cuckoo Marans) that were in sad shape with only a couple tail feathers apiece and some bald spots (I suspect from being overmated or possibly recovering from molt). In any event we fed them extra protein (boiled eggs, canned kitten food, Greek yogurt, salmon, etc) when my local feed store was out of feather regrowth feed. I thought I was going to have sad-looking hens but within a couple months their new feathers were in and they turned out to be great layers.

The Leg and Cuckoo became too aggressive toward our bantams so we had to rehome to an egg-seller flock where they continue being good and healthy layers. Since having those assertive breeds in my gentle Silkie and Ameraucana flock I no longer mix combative heritage or dual purpose breeds with my gentler smaller breeds. I personally consider the Silkie, Sultan, Breda, Houdan, Polish, Easter Egger, Ameraucana, Araucana, and Dominique as the lighterweight gentler non-combative breeds. Faverolles and Sussex are reportedly mellow non-combative birds but because they are so much heavier I don't keep them with under 5-lb weight breeds.

Lovely heritage or dual purpose breeds that might be too assertive/aggressive to mix with the above mentioned gentle breeds are the RIR, BRs, Delaware, Leghorn (including most Mediterraneans like Minorca, Andalusian, Buttercup, Black Spanish, Catalana, etc), Marans, Wyans, Orps, 'Lorps, Javas, etc. The combative and non-combative breeds seem to get along as chicks/juveniles but at about 18 months to 2 years of age the combative or heavier breeds start pushy behavior to outright bullying the gentle breeds that would rather run than fight. My gentles tried to run and hide from the assertive larger hens and were constantly picked on and their tail/crest feathers pulled out. Another nasty habit my larger hens did was to roost next to a smaller fluffier Silkie and pull out the soft crest/beard feathers bald and chew on the little walnut comb (poor things I thought they were molting until I discovered the larger culprits). Diet and space was not an issue - it was just the nature of chicken politics so now we don't keep any bird over 5-lbs and keep only non-combative breeds in our flock. I have dialogued with other owners who have found this solution effective.

If a lot of eggs was our goal we would''ve kept a dual-purpose flock but since most of our little backyard group are more pets than utility, we don't mind the smaller eggs they give us in order to have a peaceful group.

 

[ftpagain]

Your Polish are adorable. I received a couple pullets a few years ago (one white Leghorn and one Cuckoo Marans) that were in sad shape with only a couple tail feathers apiece and some bald spots (I suspect from being overmated or possibly recovering from molt). In any event we fed them extra protein (boiled eggs, canned kitten food, Greek yogurt, salmon, etc) when my local feed store was out of feather regrowth feed. I thought I was going to have sad-looking hens but within a couple months their new feathers were in and they turned out to be great layers.

The Leg and Cuckoo became too aggressive toward our bantams so we had to rehome to an egg-seller flock where they continue being good and healthy layers. Since having those assertive breeds in my gentle Silkie and Ameraucana flock I no longer mix combative heritage or dual purpose breeds with my gentler smaller breeds. I personally consider the Silkie, Sultan, Breda, Houdan, Polish, Easter Egger, Ameraucana, Araucana, and Dominique as the lighterweight gentler non-combative breeds. Faverolles and Sussex are reportedly mellow non-combative birds but because they are so much heavier I don't keep them with under 5-lb weight breeds.

Lovely heritage or dual purpose breeds that might be too assertive/aggressive to mix with the above mentioned gentle breeds are the RIR, BRs, Delaware, Leghorn (including most Mediterraneans like Minorca, Andalusian, Buttercup, Black Spanish, Catalana, etc), Marans, Wyans, Orps, 'Lorps, Javas, etc. The combative and non-combative breeds seem to get along as chicks/juveniles but at about 18 months to 2 years of age the combative or heavier breeds start pushy behavior to outright bullying the gentle breeds that would rather run than fight. My gentles tried to run and hide from the assertive larger hens and were constantly picked on and their tail/crest feathers pulled out. Another nasty habit my larger hens did was to roost next to a smaller fluffier Silkie and pull out the soft crest/beard feathers bald and chew on the little walnut comb (poor things I thought they were molting until I discovered the larger culprits). Diet and space was not an issue - it was just the nature of chicken politics so now we don't keep any bird over 5-lbs and keep only non-combative breeds in our flock. I have dialogued with other owners who have found this solution effective.

If a lot of eggs was our goal we would''ve kept a dual-purpose flock but since most of our little backyard group are more pets than utility, we don't mind the smaller eggs they give us in order to have a peaceful group.

this is some very useful info. thank you!

my flock is very young so its hard to tell how they will all turn out, but i can already tell that some are more aggressive and dominant than others. i have two coops going on right now. in one i have 1 partridge plymouth pock hen, 1 dark cornish hen, 1 light brahma hen, 1 RIR rooster, 6 guineas and 3 turkeys. brahma seems to be the most dominant one, the cornish is a loner and sticks to herself but does accept the rooster and doesn't get picked on and the rooster is a bit too aggressive for my taste.
in the other we have the polish, 3 silkie mixes and a turkey. and they are a very mild bunch. i am definitely moving toward the peaceful group of birds and some of them are going to have to go. and like you I'm not very concerned whether they lay a lot or are heavy. i just don't want drama LOL

 

[nate1the1great1]

My glp roo is 6 months old now and I have a question. First of all he doesn't have a comb, and his tail is black instead of golden other than that he looks normal

 

[Sylvester017]

this is some very useful info. thank you!

my flock is very young so its hard to tell how they will all turn out, but i can already tell that some are more aggressive and dominant than others. i have two coops going on right now. in one i have 1 partridge plymouth pock hen, 1 dark cornish hen, 1 light brahma hen, 1 RIR rooster, 6 guineas and 3 turkeys. brahma seems to be the most dominant one, the cornish is a loner and sticks to herself but does accept the rooster and doesn't get picked on and the rooster is a bit too aggressive for my taste.
in the other we have the polish, 3 silkie mixes and a turkey. and they are a very mild bunch. i am definitely moving toward the peaceful group of birds and some of them are going to have to go. and like you I'm not very concerned whether they lay a lot or are heavy. i just don't want drama LOL

I had to chuckle when you said you aren't into flock drama/politics. As a senior I just want peace too.

I love Leghorns and BRs and RIRs and NHRs and even the obnoxious Marans since I've had them all before but once we had a chance to have some gentle breeds we sacrified the big and/or dark brown eggs of the aggressive breeds and are thoroughly enjoying our small to medium eggs layed by a sweet natured flock.