POLISH HEN NEEDS A HAIR CUT

by Jeremy Hinerman
(Oklahoma)

Is it OK to trim a Polish hen's crest, so that she might see better? I have 2 Rhode Island Reds, a Plymouth Rock, and the Polish. I've noticed the polish isn't getting as much food as the others due to her limited sight. They are free range. So I was wondering if it was safe to trim her feathers a bit to she could have a more fair attempt at the food.

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by: Sharon

YES! You NEED to trim her feathers so she can see and eat. It's not uncommon for animals that have been bred for unusual looks to need some help. You wouldn't be able to show her with trimmed feathers.

Trimming feathers is just like trimming hair or fur. You'll want to do a nice job so she still looks pretty, but you don't want her starving to death. If she's free ranging she needs to be able to see if there is any danger.

Chickens have excellent vision usually, so you will need to keep her vision clear of feathers for the rest of her life. Some Polish have much more exaggerated feathering than others. She sounds like she's from show stock, not meant to be free ranged, but should do OK of she can see.

The "hair cut" should last a while, until she molts and grows new feathers there.

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