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

[sailtexas186548]

You are a roost! Isn't it great to be "dual-purpose"!

It’s pretty entertaining!

 

[Sylvester017]

I have done it just this year. I had an unknown hen, a labendar orpington, and an Easter Egger and I added a Barred Rock, Wyandotte, and a Polish. Phyllis is the bottom of the pecking order and gets what any hen at the bottom does. Otherwise she is doing pretty good. I wish i had a pair of Polish. I think that would work better but she seems happy.

She is the most precious friendly hen. We all love Phyllis.

My orpington has never feather pecked my EEs. It just doesn't happen.

With timid or crested breeds (like Polish or Silkie) I would have at least a pair in a mxed flock -- the two or three timid alike breeds will toodle around together away from the other more assertive breeds of hens. When younger the bigger pullets don't bother the crested birds too much but as they get older they can't resist pecking on the smaller crested docile breeds so having at least a pair of crested alike breeds will give them a safer chance of peace from the bigger breeds. JMHO from experience.

Partridge Silkie and Black Silkie toodling together and larger hen to the left of photo doesn't bother a pair of crested hens hanging out together -- the Black Silkie was added to the backyard flock 6 months after we had the Partridge Silkie so they were not acquainted with each other at first but very soon found companionship and safety toodling around together.

Happy pair of crested Silkies toodling around together away from the bigger hens

 

[sailtexas186548]

Derek held still just long enough to snap a pic this evening

 

[Crazy Fun Chicken Lady]

I need help. I have had polish for years but have a roo teenager who has been plucked bald. I really think it is happening at night because I spend lots of time with my chickens and I have not seen anyone mess with him. They were all hatched on May 19 and 26. All from My Pet Chicken. I love MPC.
There are 21 teenagers of many breeds in the chicken mansion 780 square feet with 2 8x4' coops and two areas of flat 2x4s for roosting areas out of the coop but under a roof. So I know they have tons of space. I let them out on the weekends when I am home. When they get older they will be out everyday. I have 21 adults who free range during the day.
I tried soaking his head with pick no more and I would reapply every 3 days. That worked at first and he had new growth but now he is bald again. I plan to start crating him at night to see if that helps.
I have attached before and after photos but he is even more bald now :-(. It looks purple because of the pick no more.

 

[jspeese]

How many other roosters do you have? I've rarely had multiple roosters get along well, even with lots of hens and plenty of space. At first and when they are young they may, but as they get older one invariably starts bullying the less dominant ones. I've seen a dominant rooster literally charge across an acre of pasture to attack a subordinate rooster who tried to mount a hen.

 

[Crazy Fun Chicken Lady]

I have an unplanned polish roo Joey, a planned silkie roo Liam (who has not figured out he is a roo yet) both are one week older than the bald polish Neeson. I do not think Joey is doing it. I have never seen him bother Neeson. Plus I separated them for a few nights and Neeson still lost head feathers. I really think it is happening at night or during the time when everyone is roosting right before dark. Last night Neeson and a silkie hen slept in a large crate under the covered area of the run. When I let them out this morning his head looked the same as yesterday.

 

[BulldogsandChickens]

I need help. I have had polish for years but have a roo teenager who has been plucked bald. I really think it is happening at night because I spend lots of time with my chickens and I have not seen anyone mess with him. They were all hatched on May 19 and 26. All from My Pet Chicken. I love MPC.
There are 21 teenagers of many breeds in the chicken mansion 780 square feet with 2 8x4' coops and two areas of flat 2x4s for roosting areas out of the coop but under a roof. So I know they have tons of space. I let them out on the weekends when I am home. When they get older they will be out everyday. I have 21 adults who free range during the day.
I tried soaking his head with pick no more and I would reapply every 3 days. That worked at first and he had new growth but now he is bald again. I plan to start crating him at night to see if that helps.
I have attached before and after photos but he is even more bald now :-(. It looks purple because of the pick no more.

I am sorry for your struggle with your crested polish. I have a pullet that continually gets pecked and I also believe it is at night when roosting. I have tried separating her but as soon as her feathers start to grow back it happens again. I have had the best luck with cleaning/washing wound and blow drying crest, then applying blu kote. I also trim feathers around eyes so she can see if any of the rest of my mixed breed flock is coming after her. I am sorry to say it is a constant battle.

 

[Sylvester017]

@Crazy Fun Chicken Lady I never had a Polish but have had two Silkie hens. They would nibble around each other's eyes to pluck the tiiny fuzzy feathers. At first I thought it was a nasty habit but I noticed the two girls would put their head down and turn it towards the other hen to do the plucking. I figured since it was mostly around their face/eye areas that they just wanted to be able to see where they were going and allowed the other hen to peck away at their face/head feathers. Now that one of the Silkies is gone, the remaining Silkie allows one of the Dominique hens to pluck her crest feathers -- not all of them but just enough so that she can see better! When the Silkie's has enough she pulls away. She's only interested in allowing her eye/face feathers to be plucked -- she keeps the very topknot feathers intact! These chickens are smarter than we give them credit LOL!

 

[BulldogsandChickens]

I am sorry for your struggle with your crested polish. I have a pullet that continually gets pecked and I also believe it is at night when roosting. I have tried separating her but as soon as her feathers start to grow back it happens again. I have had the best luck with cleaning/washing wound and blow drying crest, then applying blu kote. I also trim feathers around eyes so she can see if any of the rest of my mixed breed flock is coming after her. I am sorry to say it is a constant battle.

RIP KRAMER... lost her to a Hawk today.

 

[shon007]

Post pics and talk about our birds

this is polly a splash polish who just started laying

Cute! How old is she? I have a polish named clementine but she has not started to lay. Do they have small white eggs?