This breed is a delight to own. They are beautiful to behold and as well as good egg layers, they also make great pets. On average, these birds will lay about 150 eggs per year. Accepted in 1874 by the American Poultry Association and is currently one of the most shown varieties in large fowl.

Polish chickens are excellent egg layers of medium white eggs. They rarely go broody which is a plus if you prefer eggs because broody hens usually don’t lay eggs for almost 2 months in the process of hatching and bringing up new baby chicks.

 

Owners of the Polish chicken breed need to be aware that the crest tends to obscure their vision, so it makes them very vulnerable to predators, especially to hawks. Since the crest blocks their vision, they’re easily frightened when you walk up on them. It’s not because they are afraid of you necessarily, but because they just didn’t see you coming. Talking or whistling on your approach to the bird will alert them that you are coming, and they will be less inclined to startle. I have seen some pet owners tie them back in a hair band and some cuts them down so they can see. Either way they are really a pleasure to have as a pet or egg layer.

 

This breed bears confinement well, and due to its inquisitive nature and impeded eyesight; it’s probably best kept penned for safety. It will certainly need dry quarters for the winter months. The head feathering can be a big issue once they get wet and then freeze.

 

As an owner of the White Crested Black Polish, I have found that some breeds tend to bully them since they are so easily intimated and sometime peck at their crest. It’s something to be aware of when choosing your pets.

 

The history of the Polish chicken is not well known. They derived the name Polish from the resemblance to the square, spreading crests on the feathered caps historically worn by Polish soldiers, not from originating in Poland. Poultry historians believe that Polish chickens were brought from Spain to Holland when the Spaniards occupied the lowlands.

 

Credit is given to the Dutch fanciers of the eighteenth century for refining the color patterns and developing the crests of Polish chickens. The breed was utilized in France for production purposes. Polish chickens are believed to have arrived in America between 1830 and 1840 – by 1850 they were fairly widespread and appreciated for egg production.

 

More about Polish can be found at these links:

 

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/polish-chickens/

https://albc-usa.org/cpl/polish.html

https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/polish

https://polishbreeders.org/