Polish Chickens: A Cool Bird That Makes A Great Pet Chicken

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Polish Chickens are known for their wild top hat of feathers. These birds make great pet chickens.

Polish Chickens The Facts:

Class: Standard: Continental / Bantam: All Other Combs, Clean Legged

Size: Standard Male: 6 Ibs. / Standard Female: 4.5 Ibs. / Bantam Male: 30 oz. / Bantam Female: 26 oz.

Comb, Wattles & Earlobes: They have a small V-shaped comb. Their wattles and earlobes are small and may be completely hidden in bearded/muffed varieties. The combs and wattles are bright red and their earlobes are white.

Color: Many Polish Chickens colors are not recognized by the APA and ABA. The Polish Breeders Club are currently working in an attempt to get colors such as black crested blue, black crested buff, black tailed red, crele, harlequin, self black, self chocolate, splash, white crested blue splash, white crested buff, white crested dun, white crested khaki, and white laced red recognized. Their eyes are all reddish bay.

Black Crested White: The beak is horn and the shanks and toes are a slaty blue. The plumage is white except for the crest which is black.

Blue: The beak is horn and the shanks and toes are leaden blue, with pinkish white bottoms of the feet. They have standard blue plumage.

Buff Laced: The beak, shanks, and toes are slaty blue. The plumage is golden buff laced in creamy white.

Golden:The beak is horn and the shanks and toes are slaty blue. They have standard golden plumage.

Silver Laced: The beak is horn and the shanks and toes are a slaty blue. They have standard silver laced plumage.

White: The beak is a dusky horn and the shanks and toes are light slaty blue. They have standard white plumage.

White Crested Black: The beak is bluish black and the shanks and toes are dark slate. They have a dark shiny black plumage, except for the crest, which is white. They may have a small group of black feathers on the front of the crest and this is acceptable by breed standards.

White Crested Blue: Their beak is bluish black and the shanks and toes are slate. They have a blue plumage, except forthe crest, which is white. A small grouping of blue feathers on the front of the crest is acceptable.

White Crested Chocolate: The beak is horn and the shanks and toes are slate. The plumage is a dark to chocolatey brown, except for the crest, which is white.

White Crested Cuckoo: The beak is horn and the shanks and toes are slaty white. The plumage is barred in blue and white,except for the crest, which is white.

Place of Origin: Holland

Conservation Status: Watch

Special Qualities: Known for their top hat and as great pets.

Despite their name, Polish Chickens originated in Holland. The beginnings of the breed is unclear, as with some speculating that the breed did indeed originate in Eastern Europe and others claiming that they more than likely came from Spain or Italy. Polish Chickens do show up in paintings in Holland that date back as far as the fifteenth century.

This breed is great comic relief to their owners. They have a funny look and a friendly disposition, which makes them a great candid for pets. They tend to have vision problems as their top hats often cover their eyes and impair their vision, which often makes them even more the butt of jokes as they bounce off of walls and doors.

These birds were originally developed as a laying breed and certain strains of the breed or still excellent layers today. The hens rarely go broody.

They were first admitted into the APA in 1874.