The Polish Chicken Breed: Care, Traits, and Fun Facts

If you are looking for a comical chicken breed, the Polish will keep you entertained with its massive top hat of feathers. This chicken breed has become very popular due to its gentle nature and regal looks.

Come along with me as I discuss the care, traits, and fun facts about the Polish breed. I hope you will love this breed as much as we have.

Use this table to navigate the article.

• Our Experience with the Polish
• History of the Polish Breed
• Temperament/Personality 
• What a Polish Chicken Looks Like
• Proper Care
• Egg Production
• Where to Purchase

Our family’s experience with this breed.

In our 12-plus years of raising chickens, we’ve owned about 5 Polish chickens. They’ve quickly become a favorite here on our homestead, and our kids adore them.

 Our positive experience with this breed is something we’re excited to share with you. 

One of our most memorable experiences with the Polish breed was with a hen in our flock. The hen had a special bond with my daughter (10 at the time), who loved to hold the Polish hen.

The hen would even greet her in the coop door and hop on her lap, showing how friendly and pleasant these birds can be. 

Now, I’m sure not every Polish hen or rooster will be as friendly as ours were, but if handled often, they will come running when called and love to be spoiled with treats. 

If you’re considering adding a Polish pullet to your flock, being educated about the breed will help you properly care for your Polish, leading to a healthy, happy, long life. 

Brief History of the Polish Breed

This breed was also known as the “Tophat,” “Poland,” and “Padua.”

This chicken breed has a fascinating origins story, or should I say theories on where it originated. 

There is no exact history; just a few paintings and mentions in literature give us clues about Polish history.

Theory #1 Historians think the Polish chickens were brought in from Spain and then to Holland when Spaniards occupied the lowlands in the late 16th century. But this is just a theory.

Theory #2Polish roots can be traced back to ancient times. They are connected to other crested breeds that originated in Asia or Italy, and then the Polish were brought into Europe through trading ports.

Theory #3They originated in central Europe, maybe the Netherlands. These chickens were named Polish because they resembled the feathered helmets the Polish soldiers wore. 

Theory #4 The Dutch named the breed “Pol,” which means “Large Head” in Dutch. 

With these theories, we all understand that Polish is an old breed, once owned by royalty due to its unique appearance, named by someone, and somehow made its way to the U.S. 

The Dutch are accredited with truly developing and refining the Polish breed in the 16th and 17th centuries. Their due diligence led to the breed we know today. 

Coming to the United States

In the early 1800s, Polish chickens made their way to the United States, where they were highly priced due to their unique appearance and egg-laying abilities.

In 1874, the American Poultry Association recognized the Polish breed and set breed standards. These standards are followed when breeding and showing Polish hens, roosters, and Bantams.

The Polish crested chicken breed is known for being one of the world’s most widely recognizable ornamental chicken breeds, and no other breed can come close to its unique appearance. 

Temperament of the Polish Breed

Chickens are like any animal. They will all have unique personalities and temperaments. 

A few things that will affect how friendly your chickens will be are:

• How often do you interact with them?
• How often do you hold your chickens? This is picking them up, inspecting them, and making them stand still. My kids work with roosters and hens for showing in 4H, and daily handling is essential if you want a behaved chicken while exhibiting. 

Our Polish hen was very calm and chill. She loved to be handled and carried around.

She was by far one of the most manageable chickens for my kids to show, and of course, my daughter loved grooming her hens large crest of feathers.

Here are some common personality traits that all Polish breeds exhibit.

• Curious and Friendly—Polish crested chickens are very active and great flyers! They are also curious and will be the first to check out new items placed in the chicken run. As long as there is plenty of room, they can free-range or be confined in a large run.
• Gentle and Loving- these chickens tend to take easily to being handled and almost enjoy being toted around by children. They are an excellent breed for young children.
• Not Aggressive—Polish roosters and hens do not bully other flock members, and the roosters rarely chase people. 
• Very Sociable—Polish chickens will get along great with fellow coop mates if you do not have any aggressive breeds. They enjoy the company and thrive on human interaction.
• Can be Skittish—Due to their massive Top Hats, Polish chickens can be skittish when surprised. You may even cause them to run into a wall, so don’t sneak up on them. 
• Cold-Hardy and Like Moderate Climates- Our Polish hens survived many of our harsh winters here in North Dakota. You can read about how I secure my chicken coop for cold weather.
• Great Foragers- They love to dig and explore, so make sure they have a nice area to run in. 
• Non-broody- This can be a pro or a con, depending on what your looking for. But they are non broody so you wont find them sitting on a clutch of eggs and mad at everyone.

The Appearance of the Polish Chicken.

You can quickly identify a Polish Rooster from a Hen and vice versa. Identifying a Polish from other chicken breeds is simple: look for that massive crest or feathers on top of their heads. 

There are other identifying factors, as you can easily think a Houdan and Polish are the same breed. 

Here are some of them:

• Crest of feathers—The most notable feature of this breed is its top hat or crested feathers on top of its head. The crests can vary in size and shape depending on whether it’s a Polish cockerel (rooster) or a hen. Hens have a more pronounced neat pom-pom appearance, and Roosters have a more floppy top hat appearance. The crest may even completely cover their eyes.
• Upright, Erect Body—These chickens look like they are standing at attention when happily foraging, making them comical to watch.
• Small to Medium-Sized Birds—Polish Hens weigh between 4 and 5 pounds, and Polish Roosters weigh 5 to 6 pounds.
• There are no feathers on the Feet or legs – The legs are grey slate-colored and clean, with no feathering. They have four toes. 
• Large Nostrils- they have oddly large nostrils.
• White earlobes- usually hidden by their feathery crests.
• Red Wattles- small and hidden in the beard.
• Small V-shaped Comb- usually hidden amongst the poof of feathers.
• Come in Bearded and Non-beared Varieties—very few chicken breeds come in bearded and non-bearded varieties, so this is another unique breed quality. 
• They come in many color patterns. The APA accepts the following colors: black-crested white, buff-laced, golden, silver, white, white crested black, and white crested blue. But if you aren’t breeding for show, you will find Polish chickens in every color: buff-laced, silver-laced, golden-laced, spangled, black, and many more.
• They have Polish Bantams—how adorable! Mini Polish chickens. They have the same breed standards as the large fowl and the same colors as listed above.

Proper Care of a Polish Chicken

Polish breeds require a bit more attention when it comes to keeping them healthy and keeping that beautiful crest looking perfect. 

Here are some tips:

• Keep feathers trimmed if you notice feathers obstructing their view or getting in their eyes. (not permitted in show birds)But if your bird is free-ranging, you want the Polish to be able to see.
• Regularly check their eyes for redness, swelling, or discharge.
• Inspect their crest of feathers for parasites; these wonderful pom-poms easily collect dirt & moisture, which can lead to skin issues.
• Predator protection, like most breeds of chicken, they will need protection from predators. The elaborate hairdos attract attention and not the good kind. 
• Protection from the elements—Depending on where you live, they will need protection from rain or extreme cold. Rain will make their crest wet and weigh down. Keep them out of muddy or clay soils. Icy weather will greatly affect them, so if an ice storm is coming, get them inside a dry chicken coop as soon as possible.

Egg Production of Polish Hens

When the Polish breed was first established, they were prized for their unique appearance rather than egg-laying abilities.

Polish hens will lay between 150-200 eggs per year, leaving them lacking in egg production compared to breeds like the Leghorn or Rhode Island Red.

There are many breeds better suited for egg-laying if that’s what you’re looking for , here is a list of 20 of the top breeds for egg production.

It takes Polish hens 20-plus weeks before they are mature enough to lay eggs.

They lay white eggs, so you won’t get any pretty colored eggs from this breed. If you’re looking for colored eggs, look at the Araucana & Easter Egger.

So, if you want a beautiful chicken breed that grabs attention and is friendly, this breed is for you. 

Where to Buy Polish Chicks

We bought our first Polish chicks from Cackle Hatchery. We never had a bad experience with them shipping to us in North Dakota, and all the chicks arrived alive. 

• Cackle Hatchery They carry these colors: Blue, Buff-Laced Polish, Golden-Laced, Silver-Laced, Splash-Polish, White Polish Chickens, and Tolbunt and White-Crested Black Polish Chickens.
• Hoovers Hatchery sells these colors: White, Crested Black, Silver, Golden, and Buff Laced Polish.
• Valley Hatchery offers these colors: Buff, Silver Laced, Gold Laced, White Crested Black, Splash and White Polish.
• Seabreeze Hens offers many same colors listed above but has White Crested Blues and Frizzle Polish!

What is Frizzle? Please read about Frizzle chickens here.

To the crazy chicken ladies

With its interesting origin story and unique appearance, it’s no wonder this breed is popular among crazy chicken ladies and in the show ring. 

So what are you waiting for? Go out and buy a few or more of these beautiful Polish chickens.

If your looking at other breeds with afros, top hats or crests I have complete list of crested breeds right here.

Thanks for reading!