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[handsofblue]

We've just had one of our polish die on us She was a very thin girl to begin with and I think the recent wind and damp were too much for her. That leaves us with one polish that we would very much like to keep alive.

 

I read the chickens in winter FAQ and would just like to know if there is anything that we can do that is practical for a working family and without having to separate the polish from the rest of her flock for the winter.

 

We want to build little shelters around their run and start feeding them warm food but any tips and ideas that other forumites have had success with would be very welcome.

[Daphne]

Generally speaking polands are tough birds. They do need a covered run to shelter from wind/wet to stop their crests getting wet (they have thin skulls) and if you are extra worried then you can cover the sides as well. Make sure your house isn't draughty at the bottom (but you need ventilation at the top) or damp. You can feed warm food (eg soak pellets in warm/hot water) whenever you like. Keeping her with her flock is much the best idea, chickens are social birds and anyway at night they tend to bundle up together which helps keep them warm! TBH I'd be a bit more wary of an underlying health issue than the cold - you said the one which died was thin. When did you last worm her? Could she have been suffering from lice/mites? Any crop problems? Was she under the weather because of the moult? Was she being pecked/bullied? If you haven't wormed recently I'd start with that. As I say, in general, they are toughies and don't usually succumb to the elements unless they are very young or weakened in some way. This will be my 4th winter with poland bantams outside and I've not had one with anything in the slightest cold/damp related.

[The Dogmother]

All good points above by Daphne.

 

They don't feel the cold more than any other chickens; they all have a higher body temperature than us (105deg) so don't feel the cold as much as you'd think.

[handsofblue]

That's a relief! Everything I've been reading tells me that Polish are delicate birds!

 

My sister got some young birds for her birthday in August (I can't remember whether they were 16 or 26 weeks ) and we're all a bit inexperienced with keeping them. While the other girls were getting big and strong, we realised that one of the Polish wasn't getting any bigger and couldn't see and wasn't able to eat properly. We think she couldn't see because of her crest which we did trim but I think we did so too late.

 

If the other girls are good and healthy, should we be concerned about worm? Would it be immediately evident? After all, the others can definitely see what they're doing - they scarper from me fast enough!

[Patricia W]

Mine survived -12 on several nights last winter. Mind you, they refused to set foot in that white stuff and demanded room service in the cube!

 

The only thing I would say, is dry their hair if they do get very wet when it's cold. They have thin skulls and can get hyperthermia more easily than others.

 

But they are subject to genetic weaknesses and some do die young. Te ones that don't are just as tough as other breeds.

 

 

Tricia

[karlotta]

If my Polands get a big wet/chilly I find they tend to jam their heads under a pekin's fluffy knickers when they go to bed so are nice and toasty in no time!

 

It's not as cold here as some places, but we had plenty of snow earlier in the year and mine were fine!

[CallyChook]

all good to know as this is my first winter coming up with the polands. One of my boys, my very first to hatch too Beaker is looking a little thinner than he should, I think it's just a case of him being a weaker bird though as I have done my best with regards preventative treatment for him. Fingers crossed he's just a slimmer bird than the silver laced monster!

 

I sent off my poland club application yesterday

 

04:03 and I'm talking chicken... insomnia....

[Daphne]

Regarding worming, all birds should be wormed - its a case of prevention if possible rather than cure as all birds are susceptible. My polands have never shown symptoms of worms (which actually doesn't mean they haven't got them!)and I only do them twice a year (with Flubenvet) whereas my orps are much more prone to them and I do them 4 times a year. I think its because my polands don't free range, they spend their time in a netting pen whereas the orps FR a lot.

[handsofblue]

Thanks to all - turns out they were much younger than I thought. They were only a few weeks old when we got them, maybe just over a month. We've put up some lovely bamboo fencing for a windbreaker and they have a massive oak tree for shelter from the rain. Hopefully that will do the trick!

 

Thanks for the advice about worming - I'll be looking into that.