Polish Chicken getting his crest pecked! HELP!

[Sydnee Fisher]

My polish rooster has had blood on his crest before but I always thought it was my other rooster who is now in a second coop. Now, I washed him and separated the two for four days before a poultry show and his crest was perfect! Yesterday after the show I put them back together and the next day there is blood again! I don’t know how to stop her I am open to any suggestions! Thank you!

~Sydnee Fisher

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Unfortunately polish crest tend to be pecking targets. What breeds is he housed with? How big is the environment? Generally crested birds should be kept with crested birds.

I have successfully mixed polish with other breeds, but there's more than one, and my birds are fully free ranged with plenty of places for birds to spread out to and they always keep busy.

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

Unfortunately polish crest tend to be pecking targets. What breeds is he housed with? How big is the environment? Generally crested birds should be kept with crested birds.

I have successfully mixed polish with other breeds, but there's more than one, and my birds are fully free ranged with plenty of places for birds to spread out to and they always keep busy.

It’s a polish pullet... which it why I kept thinking it wasn’t her...

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

Unfortunately polish crest tend to be pecking targets. What breeds is he housed with? How big is the environment? Generally crested birds should be kept with crested birds.

I have successfully mixed polish with other breeds, but there's more than one, and my birds are fully free ranged with plenty of places for birds to spread out to and they always keep busy.

How do you keep them busy?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How do you keep them busy?

Lots of range, and things to scratch at. If you are done showing him you could try spraying it with bluekote, watch the eyes, and put him down wet, she will get a yucky taste if she tries pecking right away. Keep it covered in blue until it grows out well.

If you are still showing him than I have seen people put the crest up with cloth hair bands. If they can see skin or feather shafts other chickens will peck.

I have found polish to be my best ranging birds, they really move about and hustle up their own bugs, so being kept in too small of an area could bring out pecking behaviors which are generally a sign of boredom.

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

Lots of range, and things to scratch at. If you are done showing him you could try spraying it with bluekote, watch the eyes, and put him down wet, she will get a yucky taste if she tries pecking right away. Keep it covered in blue until it grows out well.

If you are still showing him than I have seen people put the crest up with cloth hair bands. If they can see skin or feather shafts other chickens will peck.

I have found polish to be my best ranging birds, they really move about and hustle up their own bugs, so being kept in too small of an area could bring out pecking behaviors which are generally a sign of boredom.

These are them in there crates that had they went outside when I was there and that’s him before I washed the dirt off his crest and him before I put them back together...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

He looks to be growing in new feathers on his crest. I don't see pecking, just molting, or is that still a before picture? The last one. That will attract pecking because of the exposed skin.

They are both great looking birds by the way.

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

He looks to be growing in new feathers on his crest. I don't see pecking, just molting, or is that still a before picture? The last one. That will attract pecking because of the exposed skin.

They are both great looking birds by the way.

Thank you! That was the before picture by the way. He has blood on his crest now and feathers missing... I was told by another polish person I know to put blu kote on it with a q-tip and see if that helps if not I was told to separate him until the feathers grow back in.

 

[Eggcessive]

I had 2 polish hens who had their head feathers picked out at separate times for most of their 3-4 years of life in a mixed flock. It started when they were a few months old. Each time, I sprayed BluKote on the bloody head every other day until the feathers grew back in over a month or so. If I didn't the others would pull out the new feather shafts as they grew in. On girl was almost scalped once by an aggressive cockerel, and hers was treated with plain Neosporin ointment for several days (while isolated,) and then the BluKote regime for a month. Unfortunately I lost both to predators at different times. They are sweet birds that everyone loved, but the crests definitely are a problem.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thank you! That was the before picture by the way. He has blood on his crest now and feathers missing... I was told by another polish person I know to put blu kote on it with a q-tip and see if that helps if not I was told to separate him until the feathers grow back in.

You may end up managing him, and potentially need to keep him permanently separated. As long as he can interact through a fence with other chickens he should be okay.