History:  These sprightly birds are a very old breed although their ancestry is unclear.   The Poland was first classified at the first poultry show in London in 1845 and was standardised in the first Book of Standards in 1865 with white crested black, golden and silver varieties included.

Characteristics:  Polands have a long flat back, tapering to the tail and the breast is full and round.  The wings are large and the tail is full and neatly spread and carried quite low.  The head is large with a "pom pom" on top.  The comb, if any, is of a horn type.  The face is smooth and completely covered by muffs in all varieties except the white crested.  The legs are slender and long and free of feathers.

Colours: Chamois, gold, silver, self white, self black, self blue, white crested black, white crested blue, white crested cuckoo.

At The Garden Hen we keep the chamois variety which are of a buff ground colour with white facing.  Their muffling is mottled or laced.

Why do we keep Polands at The Garden Hen? Because of their curious head feathering and the fact that they are fairly easy to catch as they cannot see you coming!