4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Lovemychooks]

I'm thinking of getting a couple of female Polands and wondered if anyone had any experience of Chalk Hill Poultry, Nr Martin, Hants ? Barbara at Omlet told me of this breeder but wondered if anyone got any other recommendations of where I can get some in the Surrey / Hampshire / Berkshire area ?

 

I can't for the life of me remember who had a lovely ginger and white Poland cockerel but I wanted a couple like that

 

Thank you

[Cinnamon]

I have 2 Polands - Indiana the Cockerel & Floss a white female.

They are funny things,the pair of them.A bit noisy - they make quite a shrill Jurassic Park type squark!

 

I got the both from Simon at The Garden Hen in Windsor, & her often has Polands to sell. He breeds them himself & if I remeber the last time I saw him he was telling me about a new Poland breeding programme he was shortly starting with a new Cockerel (although I might be mistaken )

 

Heres our boy

 

[Lovemychooks]

Thanks Sarah, that was the picture I had in my mind. He is such a gorgeous looking cockerel.

 

I think I might just "go and have a look" !

 

Thank you

[Cinnamon]

Pop over & meet Indie if you are ever down this way

[Lovemychooks]

Thanks, that's really kind.

 

I've got another question. Is it possible to mix bantams with larger fowl such as a bluebelle, ISA Warren etc ? How big are bantams ? Actually, maybe I should just come and have a look first

[Cinnamon]

Polands are at the larger end of the Bantam scale, but I still would hesitate to mix them with full sized hens.

My pen (below) has a seperate Bantam bit, so they are safe from harm. Polands have another problem in that they cannot see very well,so are perhaps more vunerable to attack

 

It does make them easy to catch though

[Lovemychooks]

Oh ok, i'll make sure they have a separate bit then. Thank you.

 

At least i'll have a chicken that doesn't mind being cuddled then

[Daphne]

At the moment we have 4 bantam polands. They vary in temperament with the youngest and boldest happy to jump onto your lap, arm, shoulder, head and be stroked and hide in your clothing. Top hen, the oldest, isn't. But overall they are very entertaining, busy and chatty and interested in you, and the food in your hand, good layers and excellent to have around. They can fly (ours rarely do, only if startled or bored, and we haven't clipped wings). They can't see upwards very well because of large hairdo so I wouldn't advise mixing flocks. Ours are also quite noisy, one or more cackling if anybody is laying, thinking of laying or has just laid. But I adore them and am looking for a couple more - chamois is a good choice!