Sleepy Polish??

[supermom]

I'm new to chickens. I have a Polish Top Hat that is about 18 weeks old. (someone gave her to me so I'm not sure EXACTLY). She has recently started laying down in the dirt/leaves alot. Her pal, a Buff Orpington, is the same age and she is usually actively roaming when they are free ranging. Is this a sign that something is wrong or is it simply a sleepy chicken? My 9 year old son is concerned. Yes, she seems to be okay otherwise.
Also, how do you tell if a top hat is getting ready to lay? She has no comb to use as a reference!
Thanks!

 

[verthandi]

Is she taking dirt baths maybe? Mine will also snooze sometimes in a sunny area of the run.

As far as eggs, Polish can be late to start laying. The wattles will get brighter red. It is not unusually for my summer hatched birds to not start laying until the next spring. But I also live in Maine. So March to October is their normal laying season here.

 

[supermom]

No, this is different than a dirt bath... which she does take under the coop. What we are noticing is that she will just lay down a lot when she is outdoor and appear to be sleeping.

 

[pkeeler]

I had a Polish that was very lethargic, was always laying down and sleeping in strange places. I got a close look and saw that its crest feathers were completely over his eyes. I got some scissors and cut the feathers around the eyes. The bird immediately was active again.

 

[davidmcc]

I have 2 Polish Roosters. They do seem nap more than other chickens.

Our golden recently had what appeared to be a seizure- he fell over, turned upside down and spun around on his back a few times and then passed out.

I immediately picked him up and he was limp. I carried him by his foot out of the run and quarantined him for a couple days. He came to after about 10 minutes but just laid there and his head kept drooping. But he was back to normal, crowing away the next morning and I haven't seen him do it since.

Neither one have enough feathers to block their vision thanks to a couple other roosters (which I seperated) and they don't nap like they used to, so there might be something to the idea of giving them a trim.

 

[Andora]

My white polish pullet is 13 or 14 weeks old, and the poor girl is the slowest bird of the group. She's always lost or confused. Whenever I toss treats in, she never finds them! She doesn't even free-range outside...she walks around then takes a seat while the other birds eat weeds and bugs. I never considered that it could be because she can't see!