Polish and Yokohama chickens

Polish

Also called a Padua or Poland, this chicken is most known for the tall, starburst- shaped crest that engulfs its head. 

Polish breeds are available in several colors and markings.

 Solid colors are typically white, black, blue, and cuckoo (also referred to as barred). 

Some birds have lace markings and are gold, silver, and chamois. 

The crests can sometimes cover the chickens’ eyes, so they can be startled easily. 

Use a special waterer, such as a nipple drinker, so the crest stays dry and clean. 

Their comb is V-shaped or horn-shaped.

Polish roosters weigh about 6 pounds, and hens weigh 4 ½ pounds. 

Bantams are about 3 pounds for males and 2 pounds for females. Care for this fowl requires more work than other breeds because of their coat. 

They are a magnet for mites because of the thickness of their topknot, which is another term for crest. 

One way to prevent mites is to use a spray insect repellent, but be careful not to get it in the bird’s eyes. 

The birds should be kept dry because their thick feathers will hold moisture longer. 

Polish hens are good layers and produce 150 to 200 white eggs per year.

They are not good sitters, though, and have been known to abandon or destroy their eggs. You can use a hen that is broody (meaning in her fertile cycle and instinctively wants to sit on eggs) or use an incubator for the eggs this breed produces.

Yokohama

This is a striking bird with a long tail that can grow up to 2 feet long. 

They are white and red, saddled, or red-shouldered, meaning the feathers that cover their shoulders and upper back are a strikingly different color than their body feathers. 

Their skin is yellow.

These are ornamental birds and are not good layers or typically used for meat because they are not fleshy, nor are they tender to eat.

Their combs are single and thin or walnut-shaped and red in color.

Yokohamas require a taller coop and higher perch than most breeds because of their magnificent tail.

The cock of the breed weighs about 6 ½ pounds, and the hens weigh about 5 ½ pounds. 

The bantam Yokohama weighs about 3 pounds for a male and 2 ½ pounds for a female. 

The males tend to be aggressive and dominating. 

This breed is not recommended for a novice, but as you gain more experience, they are an excellent ornamental breed to show.