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

[hbrown322]

We were mowing the lawn yesterday and my polish rooster went crazy. I didn't see what happened but he either went into shock from the stress or hit his head and gave himself a concussion.
When I saw him he was lying on the ground with his neck bent and was kicking his feet. When he calmed down a bit I picked him up and moved him inside. Randomly he would pick his head up and kick his legs.
Otherwise he is in a catatonic state and just lies there.
It's been 24 hours and he is still listless. Last night it appeared he either threw up or was drooling. There was clear liquid around his head.
He really isn't able to sit upright on his how. let alone stand. If I sit him up he is very wobbly and ends up leaning over into a lay position or he flaps around until he looses energy.
I put him on his side and he seems content in that position.
I gave him water with save a chick, but he doesn't even register that it's there, same with food.

I've heard it can take days for chickens to recover from shock/concussions. But my concern is dehydration. I don't want to force him to drink and cause him to choke. Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

We were mowing the lawn yesterday and my polish rooster went crazy. I didn't see what happened but he either went into shock from the stress or hit his head and gave himself a concussion.
When I saw him he was lying on the ground with his neck bent and was kicking his feet. When he calmed down a bit I picked him up and moved him inside. Randomly he would pick his head up and kick his legs.
Otherwise he is in a catatonic state and just lies there.
It's been 24 hours and he is still listless. Last night it appeared he either threw up or was drooling. There was clear liquid around his head.
He really isn't able to sit upright on his how. let alone stand. If I sit him up he is very wobbly and ends up leaning over into a lay position or he flaps around until he looses energy.
I put him on his side and he seems content in that position.
I gave him water with save a chick, but he doesn't even register that it's there, same with food.

I've heard it can take days for chickens to recover from shock/concussions. But my concern is dehydration. I don't want to force him to drink and cause him to choke. Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Sorry to hear about your roo. From what you have described he could have suffered a brain injury during his going crazy moment. Polish have vaulted skulls so part of their brain is exposed and I'm afraid it does not take much to cause damage. You are doing the right thing by keeping him inside. As quiet as possible would be best for him. I'm afraid you are going to have to try and water him as you stated dehydration can soon occur. I have found wrapping them in a towel with only their head exposed is a good way of making them feel safe. You will need a syringe or dropper to water him with. I find getting a small drop on the end of the syringe/dropper and gently putting it near the beak helps them to take it on their own. It seems when they feel the water on their beak they drink it down. I've found this a great way rather than actually forcing water into them which could cause aspiration.
It may take a while to get him right if it all after this as you never know how much damage has been done.
Good luck and I hope he can recover

 

[hbrown322]

Thanks!!!

Sorry to hear about your roo. From what you have described he could have suffered a brain injury during his going crazy moment. Polish have vaulted skulls so part of their brain is exposed and I'm afraid it does not take much to cause damage. You are doing the right thing by keeping him inside. As quiet as possible would be best for him. I'm afraid you are going to have to try and water him as you stated dehydration can soon occur. I have found wrapping them in a towel with only their head exposed is a good way of making them feel safe. You will need a syringe or dropper to water him with. I find getting a small drop on the end of the syringe/dropper and gently putting it near the beak helps them to take it on their own. It seems when they feel the water on their beak they drink it down. I've found this a great way rather than actually forcing water into them which could cause aspiration.
It may take a while to get him right if it all after this as you never know how much damage has been done.
Good luck and I hope he can recover

 

[ClickCluckMoo]

Hey, @hbrown322 , so sorry to hear about your poor rooster. Yorkshire Coop is right, Polishes are prone to head and brain injury, so you can't really be sure he will recover. It sounds like you are doing the right thing, though!
You are right to worry about dehydration. Yorkshire Coop is right again, a dropper or syringe are what you need to keep him drinking. Don't worry about forcing him, if the water doesn't trickle down his throat, it will just spill out the sides of his beak.
Keep us posted on how he is doing!

We all have our fingers crossed

~ClickCluckMoo~

 

[ClickCluckMoo]

Oh, silly me, I should introduce myself!

Howdy!

I am so glad that there is a Polish thread because I am absolutely in love with Polishes! I have owned a few White Crested Blacks in the past and currently have one Polish cockerel. He is a beautiful Silver Laced and was my 4-H project this year. I was pleased when he won at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. We got Grand Champion Intermediate Showman, Reserve Grand Champion Overall Showman, Grand Champion Quality Cockerel, and Overall Grand Champion in quality! The little guy is named Afro and he is the sweetest bird that I have ever had. His cute little 'fro gets in the way so he can't see so well and relies heavily on me to find his way sometimes. It is so cute.

I have lots of Polish stories to tell and I sure hope that I can make a contribution to this thread!

~ClickCluckMoo~

 

[TJordan]

Ok guys. First time polish mamma here.... when should I start watching for yummy eggs from these ladies??? One of my EEs that are the same age just started a few weeks ago and a second today so..... ideas???

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Oh, silly me, I should introduce myself!

Howdy!

I am so glad that there is a Polish thread because I am absolutely in love with Polishes! I have owned a few White Crested Blacks in the past and currently have one Polish cockerel. He is a beautiful Silver Laced and was my 4-H project this year. I was pleased when he won at the Eastern Idaho State Fair. We got Grand Champion Intermediate Showman, Reserve Grand Champion Overall Showman, Grand Champion Quality Cockerel, and Overall Grand Champion in quality! The little guy is named Afro and he is the sweetest bird that I have ever had. His cute little 'fro gets in the way so he can't see so well and relies heavily on me to find his way sometimes. It is so cute. 

I have lots of Polish stories to tell and I sure hope that I can make a contribution to this thread!

~ClickCluckMoo~

Hi there and welcome to the thread! Afro sounds fantastic! Congratulations on all that winning with him
I had a frizzle silver laced named Snowy and he was a fab little guy ~

Looking forward to hearing your polish stories!

Ok guys. First time polish mamma here.... when should I start watching for yummy eggs from these ladies??? One of my EEs that are the same age just started a few weeks ago and a second today so..... ideas???

My polish have been very varied on when they start laying. I've had some ladies start at 6 months and others have not started until as late as 10 months.

 

[ClickCluckMoo]

Thanks for the warm welcome! Snowy is adorable

@TJordan Polishes are super unreliable when it comes to egg laying. They are a mostly ornamental breed so their laying skills aren't priority for them. They like to focus on being pretty! They should be laying by 11 months, but there isn't really a specific time that they start. Also, know that Polishes don't always lay very well, even after they've started. Some lay an egg a day, some lay an egg a week. You just never know. Let us know when they finally lay!

Good luck with your poof-heads!

~ClickCluckMoo~

 

[Sherloki]

Thanks for the warm welcome! Snowy is adorable

@TJordan Polishes are super unreliable when it comes to egg laying. They are a mostly ornamental breed so their laying skills aren't priority for them. They like to focus on being pretty! They should be laying by 11 months, but there isn't really a specific time that they start. Also, know that Polishes don't always lay very well, even after they've started. Some lay an egg a day, some lay an egg a week. You just never know. Let us know when they finally lay!

Good luck with your poof-heads!

~ClickCluckMoo~

Interesting, that's what I thought about Polish, but the lady we bought ours from said hers are good layers. That was right as we were leaving sort of like an after thought and not a sales pitch. It'll be interesting to see how mine do when they start laying.

Ok guys. First time polish mamma here.... when should I start watching for yummy eggs from these ladies??? One of my EEs that are the same age just started a few weeks ago and a second today so..... ideas???

Agree with ClickCluckMoo on the variance in time. Even with my 3 EEs, 2 have been laying for at least a month maybe 2 and 1 is yet to lay.

 

[hbrown322]

Hey, @hbrown322
, so sorry to hear about your poor rooster. Yorkshire Coop is right, Polishes are prone to head and brain injury, so you can't really be sure he will recover. It sounds like you are doing the right thing, though!
You are right to worry about dehydration. Yorkshire Coop is right again, a dropper or syringe are what you need to keep him drinking. Don't worry about forcing him, if the water doesn't trickle down his throat, it will just spill out the sides of his beak.
Keep us posted on how he is doing!

We all have our fingers crossed

~ClickCluckMoo~ 

Thanks! The day of the concussion and yesterday he didn't respond at all to water, even when I used a dropper.
Today he responds to the dropper water. He is still in really bad shape, but I think it's a good sign he's responding to water! He does make a purring like sound after I give him water. I'm wondering if he's inhaling the water and not swallowing it?