which breed is best?

[Flock Runner]

what do you all think of the polish vs. the houdans? i have two houdans(a hen and a roo) but i'm thinking about polish because i've heard their a bit nicer.

 

[Illia]

In MOST cases it seriously doesn't matter. Houdans are very rare, most of the stock if not almost all have been bred so much for production and pet value that they're nothing like the breed originally was, honestly, most look like Polish with mottling and 5 toes, so, it's up to you.

I don't have any purebred Houdans right now but I have two Houdan x Polish hybrids. Very alert, calm, but not as friendly as the Polish. Great foragers, great layers. The Houdan behind my hybrids though are bigger/better stock than most, so, my hybrids are bigger than my Polish.

I've got Polish from several sources (hatcheries, local breeders who got theirs from many sources, and also exhibition breeders) and I think they rock. As long as you DO NOT have a small ratio of Polish in a mixed flock of non-crested breeds, they're very strong birds who are very intelligent, super foragers, great layers, amazing fliers, and very alert and aware as long as something is done about their crest in a free ranging environment. However if you live in a dry area, you don't need to worry as much. Out here it's the rain that makes their crests worse.

Oh, and if from the right stock, they're super friendly too.



Temperament is all about the strain though. I've heard loads of stories of aggressive or skittish Polish, most of which originate from hatchery stock the same that RIR stories do. Why? Because they don't breed for temperament. I've got a lot of hatchery gals, and most ended up very friendly, but no hatchery boys. However I've got some non-hatchery boys who are very friendly. Two of them only attacked me once when they were just 5 months old, and that was all.

 

[Gresh]

I have a lot of different "breeds." They are mostly hatchery birds, so purity of origin is questionable. However, I do own an Oriental Gamefowl stag that is purebred Oriental. Orientals are beautiful birds well worth any chicken fancier's consideration, but most Orientals are game (meaning they will fight other chickens more than normal), and some Orientals are "game unto death." My stag is not 100% game, but he is very bossy with the other chickens, especially the roosters. Oriental hens can be the same way. However, if you plan on keeping your new choices separated from other chickens, I would recommend Orientals to you. Despite their anti-other-chicken disposition, they are usually quite good with people.

However, Orientals aren't always practical for some people (including me, which is why I only have one Oriental). Oriental crosses can sometimes make better practical choices, if they are crossed with the right breeds. Some modern, practical breeds have Oriental blood in them and thereby have Oriental beauty without Oriental game. Such breeds include the Kraienkoppe and the Russian Orloff. Cornish also have Oriental blood but are slow-growing meat birds that, as I understand, are somewhat difficult to acquire in purest form. Russian Orloffs are making a comeback here in the USA, though hatchery interference has caused some Sussex blood to dope the originals. Kraienkoppes are hard to come by in this country, and virtually the only people that have them are hatcheries. There are a couple breeders, I understand, but I don't think they're giving any birds away.

~Gresh~