Question re: My White Crested Black Polish bantam hen...

Once again I turn to my DG friends to help me....

This may be a dumb question, but does anyone trim the head feathers on their White Crested Black Polish hen so that she can see????

Poor Tina (Miss Turner to the rooster) gets left alone out in the middle of the yard (free ranging) when the flock walks off; I assume because she can't see for all those feathers over her eyes. Can't tell you how many times that has happened. I end up going out, picking her up, and taking her to a safe spot in the yard. She's prime pickings for a hawk, etc.

When I blended the flock, after 3 weeks of them being in the same coop but separated by a wire wall, my RIR was in the process of showing Tina that SHE was the alpha hen. She pecked Tina in the head, which caused Tina to scream and run around the coop like Chicken Little. Tina ran around the perimeter of the coop and right back to the RIR. Tina bumped right into the RIR's chest! Of course, the RIR pecked her again. Tina can't see worth a lick, and can't see danger when it's right in front of her.

Anyways, would it hurt her if I snipped the feather off right at the skin or trimmed the ends of the feathers so that she can see?

......I can't be the first person to have a WCBP with this problem. Thanks guys for any help you can give!

~~ Glenda

I don't know the answer to your question but I had to thank you for your post. I was cracking up picturing her by herself in the middle of the yard wondering why it was so quiet. Then running right into the chest of the RIR bully, hilarious. Poor thing, I hope you can give her a haircut.

I don't have any Polish myself but I don't see why you couldn't trim back a few feathers for her to see.

Here is a link with pics.... scroll down... first they show a headband to train the feathers, then a "haircut". Personally I think trimming would be much easier then rigging up a lil headband...lol

http://www.polishchooks.com/chooks_problems.html

Julie =0)

can you take a picture of her and I may be able to make a suggestion

hi
i agree it is an amusing image but can be deadly serious (for the bird anyway) i had same bird, not a banty though and she was killed by a hawk. the other one, a solid white polish, wandered too far away (again that sight issue) and got under the fence somehow, was missing for 3 days until my neighbors dog showed up with her dead body in her mouth. the last one to still be alive is a mottled houdan and i do indeed keep her feathers trimmed away from her 'blind' side since her top feathers fall over only on one side (a la elvis).

it does require a second set of hands though-someone to hold her as still as possible while i snip away.

i think it could also just be a breed characteristic that they are a little (or a lot, in the case of mine) more placid and quiet than others like the RIR or lakenvelders. fancy (the houdan) is not a wide-range forager and would be as content to park herself inside the coop all day if i did not carry her around and get her outside. i do watch her a LOT closer than her hen-mates however, as her survival skills are not existent (or more likely i am over-protective given the other featherheads sad endings)

hope that helps.

Thanks everyone!

Julie, your link was VERY helpful! At least I know I (can) give her a haircut. The pictures on the link were helpful as well. My daughter, Heather, will help hold her while I give her a "new doo".

CC, I will try to take a picture of Tina tomorrow, but in the mean time, I'm posting a picture of a WCBP that looks exactly like Tina. Her hood is this thick and tight.

I'll let you know how it goes!! Wish me luck!

;) Glenda

in the past for mine i trimmed them, used vasiline to stickie it up or wrapped it with little elastic gum bands i use in my daughters hair to make a little pony tail above the eyes.
hope this helps,
silkie

posting a pic of my featherheads, 2 of which as described earlier are now gone. they were only about 5 months old when this was taken.

Where did you get the mottled Houdan?

Glenda
I pull the crests on many of my polish
I don't cut them except in an emergency
The cock birds I will sometimes pull into a pony tail
Hens I will simply pull the feathers away,starting at the middle of the beak
Up under the eye,and across the front
I sometimes have to do this during breeding because the pituitary gland is triggered by light
If no light hits their eyes they don't know its time to make the eggs

Polish don't see all that great anyhow
even when their crests don't cover their eyes
and I don't think most of them are very smart.......

I think they are the dumb blonds of the poultry world......
maybe thats why I have them,never thought about it that way......
birds of a feather.....
ROTFLMAO

I have a silkie who I saw walking into walls. She's not a show bird or anything, so I cut a lot of her crest right off, so she could see. Of course, even after she could see she still walked into walls. dumb biddy! :) I don't see the harm in plucking or trimming so they can see. You could even make a festive mohawk!

I just copied this off the polish breeders club newsletter
They want us to give it to anyone who is new to the polish breed
So This way I''l reach more than one polish newbie

So now you have your Polish chicken! Some frequently asked questions:

Can my chickens see?
Good question. The answer is ‘not very well!’ Since my chickens are bred for exhibition, they have large crests. All Polish are blind to the rear, and those with large fluffy crests may not see well to the side or front either. This is why we advise not to keep your Polish with other breeds. If there is a bully, your Polish chicken won’t see him or her coming! In general, it is a good idea to trim the crest. Exhibitors gently pluck some feathers around the eye so that the bird can see better, find food, and jump up on perches. If you don’t plan to show your birds, you can pluck more extensively, or cut carefully with scissors to give the bird a larger field of view.

Fresh water and good food ?
Of course: Feed a good lay ration, preferably pellets rather than crumble that can end up in their crest! Use waterers that make the birds sip, rather than deep dishes. Wet crests can cause problems!

What else should I do? Protect your Polish from mites that eat feathers. Although mites live in the chickenhouse or pen to start, eventually, if left untreated, the mites will live on the bird and make them miserable. Best: PREVENT mite problems by putting a drop of Frontline on the skin on top of the head every six weeks. You can buy Frontline in a small bottle at farmers’ coops or on line from places like 1800petmeds.com or firststatevetsupply.com . It is not cheap, but lasts a long time. WEAR GLOVES, and don’t get any on yourself! Keep Frontline and all pesticides away from children!!! Should the worst happen and you find mites (dark spots that turn out to be teeming masses of tiny bugs) on your bird, spray with Adams flea and tick spray, let dry overnight or several hours, then wash the crest (or whole bird) with doggie flea shampoo and rinse well.

Do my chickens need grooming?
Unless your birds are scratching in dirt and pecking at pebbles regularly, you probably will need to clip their toenails (use a large nailclipper or a doggie nail clipper, and don’t cut too deep or the toe will bleed!), and their beaks. Yes, the chicken’s beak grows! If you notice the beak is getting long, use a nailclipper to nip off the end – again, don’t clip too deep!!

For more info see the Polish chicken web site, PolishChickens@groups.msn.com Join the Polish Breeders Club by sending $10 (single) or $15 (family) annual dues to Jim Parker, 3232 Schooler Rd, Cridersville Ohio 45806

CC, that's exactly what I needed! Thank you, thank you!!
I will save this in a Word doc. for future reference.

You're awesome!
Glenda

So mom.....when am I coming over to hold Tina for her feather-cut??? Wanna do it Tuesday before my party??

YES, I need an extra pair of hands!! ~8>

Glenda_Michigan: I was reading about your problem with your white crested Polish and just wanted to tell you how amused I was at you, and your wonderful chicky. I also have four white crested polish and guess what? My problem is that when I let them free range one of the girls will not go in the coop with all the others. (forty-two) she wants to stay out and roost on a little chair that is only fourteen inches off of the ground. I've tried to explain how dangerous this is, due to the predators , but she will not listen. I have to go out every night and take her in and place her on the roost. How do I cure my problem? P. S. and yes she walks into things all the time. Thanks Haystack.