Golden Polish hen

When I ordered my baby chicks this year I decided to order some polish chickens.  I have long admired them, who wouldn't love that cap of feathers??

I ordered two of the Golden Polish chicks, they are distinctive even as babies.

Golden Polish chicks - two days old

Unfortunately, this batch of chicks had a really rough trip through the mail and one of the polish chicks died the next day.

a casualty of being delayed in the mail

The remaining chick was adorable

Golden Polish chick - three days old

Golden Polish chick - three days old

Here she is at two weeks old. She is almost completely feathered out but only has a tuft on the top of her head.

Golden Polish - two weeks old

At three weeks old her markings are more distinct. the feather cap on her head has grown a lot also.

Golden Polish chicken - three weeks old

Golden polish - three weeks old

When she was about four weeks old I purchased some black polish chicks.  No matter how I tried to keep the babies separate she kept finding a way to jump in with the babies. She wasn't aggressive, she was very protective and nurturing.  We joked that she was partial to the babies because she recognized them as fellow polish chickens. Whatever the reason, she was a good surrogate mama to them.  The odd thing is that I have read several accounts of how polish chickens are not setters, not nurturing, so this was definitely unusual behavior.

Golden Polish 4 weeks old, mothering 5 days old chicks

Being such a fashionable chicken she had fans. 

At five months she is pretty much full grown.  I love her feathers, the markings are beautiful.  We have a fairly big chicken house, a portable coop and we let them out to free range often.  I think she would be content to be confined. While she likes to run out and stretch her wings a little she usually stays close by the chicken house.  She is a pretty calm chicken but seems on the timid side, this is typical of the breed, some people attribute it to the limited visibility they have to the the feather cap.  I have never seen any types of aggression from her, she never battles other hens but she also isn't at the very bottom of the pecking order, probably near the bottom though.  She is a sweet temperament and I'm hoping to have more of these hens next time.
  

Golden Polish hen

Unfortunately a few weeks ago she disappeared.  I searched everywhere for her and couldn't find a trace. About a week later I found the scene of the crime, a pile of fluffy down and a few feathers. 

I was sad to lose my favorite chicken but that is the risk of letting your chickens free range.   I will definitely order this breed again, they are a beautiful addition to your flock. 

'til next time...