The Polish chickens are lanky looking birds. Their big round crest is shaped like a feathered pom, and the colors they deliver are more or less muppety. These birds have existed for hundreds of years, possibly as early as the medieval period, if not earlier. They possess a ping pong ball shaped bony structure supporting a feathery crest like it was made of feathers. It also contains half of their conical shaped brain, the front half of the dumbbell shaped brain that is. Modern Polish chickens have their origins in the Netherlands, but round crested Polish chickens are not original to Poland at all. As you can see, these friendly birds are perfect for becoming your backyard buddies as long as you don’t try to approach them from behind.
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- Polish chickens are one of the few breeds of fowl that do not have the word ‘Polish’ in their name.
- Polish chickens are reasonably well adapted to heat and cold but do not take kindly to getting wet.
- Of these birds, the facial features are sometimes hard to see due to the large crests on their heads.
- While some Polish chickens have crests and hackle feathers, others have beards and muffs.
- Even though Polish chickens may lay up to 200 eggs a year, these breeds are mainly kept for ornamental purposes.
- Because Polish chickens cannot see birds of prey coming in to swoop down. The birds of prey pose a serious threat to Polish chickens.
Where to Find Polish Chickens
Polish chickens are found mainly in European countries, America, and Australia. There has been some disagreement over these birds’ origins: they are arguably originally from Europe. According to some of the sources, the beautifully crested Polish chickens descended from ancestors who were shipped to the Netherlands from Spain. Collectively, others suggest that they began in Asia, and the Mongols then introduced them to Europe in the Middle Ages. Chickens depicted more like the crested Polish have been represented artistically in Europe for the half millennium.
Exporters introduced the breed into the United States at the time of the Civil War up to around the mid-1850s. Three varieties of Polish chickens were included in APA’s Standard of Perfection in 1874. Later, the association added more varieties of beers they were serving. Sadly, however, the breed dwindled as farmers shifted towards other chickens.
Prospective fanciers can obtain pure Polish chicks to start or diversify their flock for as low as $ 4.00 per chick or more than $ 15.00. The cost per click depends on the hatchery, the pattern of the birds, as well as the variety of machines used in keeping a record of the number of birds.
Scientific Name
Like all other domesticated chickens all over the world, Polish chickens also have the same scientific name. The modern Gallus gallus domesticus has been named after the scientific nomenclature of the Gallus gallus, the red jungle fowl. This particular bird is recognized by this name after Linnaeus named it in 1758.
The name of Polish chickens might suggest that the birds were bred in Poland only, but history proves otherwise. Polish or Poland, Top Hat, or Paduan chickens might have been given such a name by the Dutch word ‘pol’ meaning big head. They might also have been given the name the Polish chickens because they resembled the crested hats worn by the Polish soldiers.
Appearance
Many people know the Polish chickens by the large, rounded tops on their heads. The breed is one of over a dozen crested breeds, some of the others being the Houdan and Sultan chicken breeds. The crest of the Polish chicken is rounded and looks fuller than all the rest of the breeds, most likely. A few people have beards and muffs, so the feathers encircle the bird’s head as the entire sphere is made of down.
They are small, and their size varies from 12 to 15 inches in height. These range in weight from 4.5 pounds to about 6 pounds. Breeders came up with the bantam type by crossbreeding the larger birds with small chickens. They are a small bird that weighs between 26 and 30 ounces when mature. Their body is lean, and their feather looks smooth, at least not fluffy, unless, of course, they belong to the frizzled class.
Color Patterns
The Poultry Club of Great Britain notes that Polish chickens were presented in the first poultry exhibition held in London in the year 1845. At that time, the show accepted Polish chickens in the Gold, Silver Spangled, Black, and White categories. By 1865, Great Britain added compartments to accommodate the white-crested black, golden, and silver pigeons.
The APA lists ten color patterns in both standard and bantam breeds, and an additional color in large only. The Non-Bearded Black Crested White. The association recognizes the following colors in both sizes: Some recognized varieties of this breed are Buff Laced Bearded, Buff Laced Non-Bearded, Bearded Golden, Non-Bearded Golden, Bearded Silver, Non-Bearded Silver, Bearded White, Non-Bearded White, Non-Bearded White Crested Black, and Non-Bearded White Crested Blue.
An Unusual Skull
Polish chickens grew on the top of their skull a big round bony tubercle. The structure of this apparatus is elliptical, somewhat like a ping pong ball, and overlies the feathers in the crest of the chicken. The Polish chicken has a dumbbell or peanut shaped brain which is herniated into this bony cavity. Even though the total and gross size and weight of the brains are proportional to the size of other chickens reared on this production. The Polish chicken has more cerebral matter than it contains the cerebellum and medulla.
Behavior
Operation owners have assessed that Polish chickens are friendly and gentle birds. According to some accounts, they like humans and can be seen trailing their masters. The listeners say these ladies have a melodic voice. It IS a nice and clean city where the roosters are said to crow gently without tenderizing any meat.
These are active flying birds that do fly very well, you can as well find these birds perched on top of a tree branch or any other vantage position, as much as you would find them browsing the ground. Perhaps, owners might wish to have enclosed runs, as high fences will not hold a flighty Polish chicken.
Diet
Polish chickens mainly consume commercial chicken feed. They do require a protein-rich diet because their feathers and growth require this type of diet. The hens also require the mineral calcium so that they can lay eggs as expected. The commercial feeds also provide vital micronutrients. The sodium and potassium have tp be controlled in the diets of the grower and the finisher. Despite being good hunters, this breed specializes in hunting for insects, larvae, worms, and other kinds of invertebrates. Polish chickens are very active on their legs, so if they are allowed to roam, they can catch many of their prey. Polish chicken fowl feed on seeds and green plantage parts just like their relatives in the chicken family.
Precisely, the owners should ensure that they offer clean drinking water and a clean area where they feed their dogs. The Polish chicken, for instance, may benefit from the use of the watering systems when wet feathers around the face of the chicken cause health issues.
Reproduction
Polish chickens produce between 150 and 200 white, medium-sized eggs per year. The hens themselves barely get broody and will seasonably neglect to incubate them until they hatch. The eggs normally take about 21 days to hatch. Chicks get to the point of laying between the 16th and 20th week of age.
Unlike the other Polish chicks, they do not have feathered legs. The mere evidence of a rounded mass on the skull. It stands up far earlier than when the chick develops the crest of adult contour feathers.
Predators and Threats
Because of that, they are able to avoid the majority of the basic local ground predators, including foxes and raccoons, as well as weasels. Nonetheless, they are vulnerable to various dangers from big, massive birds of prey, including owls, hawks, or eagles, due to their poor vision. Their large crests just stopped them from seeing a diving bird of prey. In order to safeguard their Polish chickens from either of these elements, the owners should ensure their fowls have compartments where they may spend most of their time in the outdoors enclosed.
These chickens need proper homes where they can rest at night before being processed for consumption. A small and very secure box is needed to protect chickens from snakes and other birds and to protect them from the cold and the hot.
Polish chickens are a tropical breed that can withstand heat better than cold but get affected a lot by wet conditions. As with other crested birds, these chickens are prone to getting eye infections and other diseases. If the feathers over their eyes become wet and hang over their eyes.
Coops should also be large enough so that Polish chickens do not peck at one another or pull feathers on the heads. Space and proper hygiene in these chicken houses can also reduce the incidence of lice. Which are often found on the peaks of these chickens.
Lifespan
Polish chickens are a hardy breed that can live up to five to seven years, on average. Properly fed birds with emphasis on giving them the necessary baths to keep them clean and/or dry last longer than the rest. Currently, this breed is listed in the Watch category on The Livestock Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List. It includes poultry breeds with populations of less than 10,000 birds worldwide. This implies that the future existence of the breed has to be anchored on interest in the DoR as a show and exhibition bird.
