Polish chicken

 

The Polish or Poland is a breed of crested chicken originating from Europe. The origin of the Polish is lost in history, but similar birds are depicted in seventeenth century illustrations from Italy and from the Netherlands.

They have a small v-shaped comb and a very large crest of feathers, which sit on the circular top of the head. They are kept for show or as ornament. There are bearded, non-bearded and frizzled varieties.

Etymology

The English name of the breed has unpredictable roots. One possibility is that it was named after a country - Poland. Another possibility is that the name referred to the Polish dome head (similar root word as poll tax), relating the Polish breed's dome-shaped skull.

 

In other European countries, the breed is referred to as "dutch crest fowl" in their languages. In Poland it's known as Polish crest fowl. The old type of the breed is less represented but the old type was still kept in Poland where it's now called old Polish crest fowl.

History

While the Polish breed's ancestry is uncertain, one theory suggests that Asian Mongols brought their fore-bearers to Central and Eastern Europe during medieval times, and therefore originated in Poland.  Crested chickens are shown in paintings from the fifteenth century, and Dutch and Italian paintings from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century.

While currently, they are only a fair layer at best, in France they used to be a keeper of eggs. The first edition of the Standard of Perfection published in 1874 included three colour varieties; more were added in 1883, 1938 and 1963.

Characteristics

The Polish chickens have a small, v-shaped comb that can also be obscured by the crest. The wattles and earlobes are small and may be completely obscured. Some varieties have "beards" and will therefore tend to obscure the appearance of the wattles. The comb and wattle are bright red and the earlobes are white.