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[Kittycat]

Hi there

 

I've had my 3 hybrids for almost a year now (unbelievable how time flies) and they have been a delight and very easy to look after.

 

As with most other chicken owners on this forum I am hooked and, with a prospective move of house this year and hopefully a larger garden , I am hoping to increase the flock. This time, I would really like to get some traditional breeds and I love the look of Polands, Pekins and, in fact, anything with a funky hair style or bloomers. However, all the chicken books I have read seem to suggest that these breeds can be problematic to look after - eg, more prone to scaley leg mite or requiring specialist feeders and drinkers so that moustaches and beards don't get wet etc.

 

Can someone with experience of the more fancy breeds please advise as to whether these birds really are difficult to look after or whether, if you apply the same general rules on cleanliness and care of standard chickens, they can be relatively easy to care for.

 

Thanks in advance

[Griffin]

I've got three Polands and they are more work than other breeds. For a start, mine are kept in my garage over the winter because they hate the cold and wet weather is no good for their hair-do. They have to be kept dry. Two of mine are bantams and are very very small, they can't cope with the cold at all. I haven't had problems with lice or mites, so far anyway! They're great little characters though, my Olive is my favourite of all my chickens

 

[tom123]

Pekins are in fact, really quite easy to look after if the correct care is taken with their housing and runs. Due to their feathered legs and feet, non-covered runs or free-ranging isn't advisable as the mud will cause balls on their feet causing them pain and discomfort. Covered runs are perfect with either woodchip or aubiouse/hemcore as the flooring. Other than that, Pekins are relatively easy to keep and are a surprisingly tough, hardy little bantam.

 

As Griffin said, Polands are quite a bit more high maintenance and covered runs are an absolute must in wet conditions as they have very thin skulls which means if their crest gets wet it can affect their health easily. Also, their crests and beards can effect their eyesight which means that you should either trim the crests or keep them on their own to minimise bullying.

 

Have a read of this thread on another forum about Polish

 

 

If you will be integrating the polish and pekins in with your hybrids please do take it very slowly and be prepared to have to house them separately.

 

Tom

[Daphne]

Polands are slightly harder work because of their crests. You should give them lipped drinkers (so they don't keep getting it wet), you absolutely must give them shelter (so they don't get wet and cold - the skulls under the crest gets exposed when wet, it can be thin and can be a magnet to peckers) and you need to check the crest for lice & mites regularly as the bird can't preen there and crests are nice hidey places for mites. However, a regular squirt of something keeps them away anyway. The other no-no is to mix polands with other breeds because they can't see to get out of the way of others. Of course people do run mixed flocks (in fact I have a bantam orp with mine, but orps are very laid back) and these can be harmonious, but personally I would never do this unless your stock is known to be docile.

 

Despite all this, if you have some experience as a chicken keeper and are able to give them that extra bit of attention I would encourage anyone to have them. They have character in spades and are good layers of decent size (mine are bantams) white eggs. Mine have an eglu with a totally covered extended run and range in a pen (not FR as I am worried about predators as the polands can't see well enough and they are small enough to be interesting prey) outside all year round. Once grown up they are pretty hardy (hardier than most people seem to think) if they have the opportunity to keep out of the wet (tho mine are routinely soaked - their choice). I've had them 3.5 years now and not had a single respiratory infection or special-care-related problem.

 

Sorry for the essay

[Patricia W]

I have 9 polands and I love them. As Tom and Griffin say, you do have to be a bit careful with them in the winter. They have thin skulls apparently and if their hair- do gets wet and it's very very cold, it seems to make them more susceptible to colds etc. The only problem I have had with that was when one of them went down with a chest infection after getting soaked one day - but I don't know if that was the cause. The vet thought not.

 

However, I now make sure they don't go to bed absolutely soaked so that does mean bringing them in for a blow dry occasionally!

 

I was also advised not to mix them with large fowl as they can be bullied as their eyesight is not that good. But I do know others have successfully mixed them.

 

I'd recommend them though as they are so friendly and very good egg layers for 9 months of the year. The eggs aren't that small either.

 

Tricia

[Kittycat]

Thanks for all the great advice - I knew I could rely on the omleteers!

 

I live in the South West where we have more than out fair share of rain so it sounds as though Polands might be a bit tricky - unless, of course, I can persuade OH to build a lovely covered WIR...

[Redwing]

I have one odd Poland in with a little flock of Pekins

 

The Pekins are quite bolshy with her and she is bottom of the pecking order but she hasnt suffered from any bullying problems, I think this is mainly because we also have a cockerel in that pen and he reigns supreme!

 

As already said they cant get too wet really, its not good for them but mine does manage well in a covered Eglu run, if she gets wet I bring her in to be dried off

[tom123]

I live in south gloucestershire so not too far from you

 

What is your setup now if you don't mind me asking??

[Egluntyne]

I looked after a Poland during the summer. It was a real character....but very noisy.

[Kittycat]

Hi Tom

 

I have 3 hybrids in an eglu with a standard size run but we have a fully enclosed garden with lots of shrubs and they freerange for pretty much the whole of the day. I have to say that I do love to see them exploring the garden and would not want to keep chickens in the run all day - although I know some do - unless we had a much bigger WIR.

 

I, personally, would feel happier having freerange chickens which seems to potentially rule out the feathered leg varieties (because of mud build up) and Polands (because of their poor sight). That said, whenever I have visited the Devon Traditional Breeds Centre they seem to have all of their feathered leg varieties freeranging in sometimes quite wet conditions.

 

My 'flock' all seem quite docile although the Light Sussex cross is definitely boss and will give the odd peck if one of the others gets too close to her porridge. I would obviously be sensible about introductions as and when I get the newbies.

 

Any other thoughts appreciated!

[tom123]

OK. How about some of the miniature pure breeds instead of the true bantams as these will be slightly bigger and more productive.

 

There are lots too choose from but the most popular and most common are:

Wyandotte bantams

Sussex bantams

 

 

Or some of the less common ones like Orpingtons, Faverolles, RIR, Marans and many more.

 

All of these would be suitable for a FR lifestyle however your eglu wouldn't be big enough to hold another 2 bantams in my opinion and neither would the run for when you go away.

 

Good Luck

Tom

[Kittycat]

Thanks Tom - and for the pics - they sound like good choices.

 

I agree though, I wouldn't want to squeeze anything else into one eglu. Looks like I'll be saving for another eglu or a cube...

[Faye&Ant]

We keep 2 Polands and 2 Pekins and they get on like a house on fire. The Polands are the top dogs and the Pekins are the little cheeky ones who run around trying to steal everything.

 

They are not particularly hard to look after and I would def get more as they are real characters. They are ok in the cold but common sense tells you to keep the Polands heads dry and the Pekins feet clean and clear of mud balls.

 

Aslong as you give them a little mot each day they are easy to keep.

 

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm39/FayeAnt/garden019.jpg

[Patricia W]

My Polands free range all the time - which is why sometimes they get wet even though they always have the option of shelter. They are so inquisitive and independent they soon got bored locked in the run.

 

I shouldn't let the idea that they have poor eyesight put you off - frankly, they can see a mealworm a mile off! It really means that their hair do means they have difficulty with 360 deg vision - they look down and up rather than sideways.

 

They are really very tough

 

Tricia

[iandjsmum]

Hi My 6 pekins live very happily with my 2 white star hybrids. There wasn't any problem with the intros (but the Pekins were there first so maybe that helped). The only thing I have noticed is that the white stars love to dig and often dig holes that the poor pekins stumble into! Otherwise all seem to tolerate one another. It's nice to have a mix.

[madchickenlady]

I have a flock of five pekins and two silkies. They are kept in a wooden coop with covered run. The run is on slabs and filled with easibed. However, they free range daily in my garden. They tend to take themselves in to the run if it's wet out, and won't venture into the snow at all In fact, they can often be seen sunbathing on the decking by the back door , but if the weather is in any way inclement sit in the coop and mutter I do check them regularly for mud/poo balls, though, and it's best to soak them off immediately if you do notice any. They do spend a large part of the winter with straggly, dirty foot feathers, but come the spring they are back to looking gorgeous. Feel free to look at the pics in my blog (I took some today)

[Kittycat]

Thanks for posting the pics and it's nice to hear of Silkies and Pekins that free range I will give it some more thought...