Polish chicken
{{Short description|Breed of crested chicken}}
{{infobox poultry breed
| name = Polish
| image = Polish Silver Lace.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| image_caption = A silver-laced cock
| status =
| altname = Poland
| country =
| distribution =
| standard =
| use =
| nickname =
| aba = all other combs, clean legged
| ee =
| pcgb =
| maleweight = Standard: 2.75 kg
Bantam: 850 g
| femaleweight = Standard: 2 kg
Bantam: 740 g
| skincolor =
| eggcolor = white
| comb = v-shaped
| note =
| type = Chicken
| latin = Gallus gallus domesticus
}}
The Polish or Poland is a European breed of crested chicken. Its origins are unknown; similar birds are shown in seventeenth-century images from Italy and the Netherlands.
The birds have a small v-shaped comb and an abundant crest of feathers on the crown of the head. They are kept for show or for ornament. There are bearded, non-bearded and frizzle varieties.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
Etymology
The origins of the breed's name in the English language are uncertain. The breed could have been named after the country of Poland.{{cite book|last=Damerow|first=Gail|author-link=Gail Damerow|title=The chicken encyclopedia|date=31 January 2012 |publisher=Storey Pub.|location=North Adams, MA|isbn=978-1-60342-561-2|page=208}} Its name could have also come from the Middle Dutch word pol 'head' (compare origin of poll tax), in reference to the Polish's dome-shaped skull.{{cite book|last=Bassom|first=Frances|title=Chicken breeds & care : a color directory of the most popular breeds and their care|year=2009|publisher=Firefly Books|location=Buffalo, N.Y.|isbn=978-1-55407-473-0|page=107|edition=1.}}
In some European countries the breed is known as "Dutch crest fowl" in the respective languages.{{cite web |url=https://entente-ee.eu/wp-content/uploads/EE-Verzeichnis-RF-Grosshuhner-2024.xlsx |title=Listing of large fowl breeds and colors accepted in Europe |author= |date=March 15, 2024 |website= |publisher= |access-date=July 11, 2024 |quote=}} In Poland it's known as Polish crest fowl (Czubatka Polska){{Cite web |title=Strona główna |url=http://www.czubatka-polska.pl/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.czubatka-polska.pl}}{{Citation |title=Czubatka polska |date=2023-07-05 |work=Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia |url=https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czubatka_polska |access-date=2024-12-16 |language=pl}} The old type of the breed, less numerous, was still cultivated in Poland, where it's now known as Old-Polish crest fowl (Czubatka staropolska){{Cite web |last=ptakiozdobne.pl |title=Czubatka staropolska |url=https://ptakiozdobne.pl/index.php?art=375 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=ptakiozdobne.pl |language=en}}
History
Though the derivation of the Polish breed is unclear, one theory suggests that their ancestors were brought by Asian Mongols to Central and Eastern Europe during medieval times, and thus, could have originated in Poland.{{cn|date=July 2024}} Crested chickens are seen in paintings from the 15th century,{{dubious|date=July 2024}} and in Dutch and Italian paintings from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.
Though usually only a fair layer at best today, in France they were formerly kept for their eggs. Three colour varieties were included in the first edition of the Standard of Perfection in 1874; additional varieties were added in 1883, 1938 and 1963.{{r|apa}}