Not so long ago Rural Living reported on the therapeutic effect of Highland Cattle; well it appears just watching chickens at work and place can be just as calming as grooming a placid ‘toffee cow’.

At least that is what chicken breeder Rachel Michinton, mother of two boisterous little girls has discovered. “My father introduced me to chickens a few years back and I find them really relaxing,” she told Rural Living. “In particular I became very interested in the Polish breed of chickens as they are so unusual looking, and quite simply because they are rare. I was inspired to carry on because at the Kumeu show I won two firsts, and a second for my birds.”

The Polish breed of chicken is not only rare, it is a most remarkable, and extraordinary looking bird. They are not large by chicken standards but they are most outstanding for their peculiar crest – not unlike an umbrella worn directly on the head. This emerges from a protuberance on the skull – whether it serves any purpose is open to debate – it certainly can effect their field of vision! In the cockerels it is probably an adornment signally virility, in the hens perhaps disguise, or a way of keeping the weather out.

Rachel Michinton.

It is certainly for their looks and not their egg-laying or ‘table use’ that people keep them. They may indeed not have originated in Poland. The name could be a misnomer or corruption, and that although almost certainly European in origin, they possibly came from the Netherlands.

Another source suggests they were developed in Italy by the Po River – hence their name. It seems they were bred primarily for show and not for their size or eggs. As far as colouring is concerned they have quite a variety. Rachel had several of the standard black birds in her run, together with a very pretty example of the golden, with orange and black phase.

Whatever their ability or purpose, Rachel retains a genuine enthusiasm for her Polish chickens. “You don’t do this sort of thing for money,” she explained. “These birds are obviously worth a bit, but possibly only to other similar-minded enthusiasts. I get great satisfaction out of them purely because they are what they are, and that I am helping to maintain a breed that could otherwise disappear.”

Quite clearly, Rachel has ‘got the bug’ when it comes to looking after endangered species. She plans to start breeding the Houdan, when birds become available. This equally strange-looking chook has more than a hint of her Polish chickens in it. They seem to have originated in France in the 1850s, from the Dorking the Crevecoeur, and the Polish. This mixture of genes gave the Houdan its five toes and very distinctive crest. This certainly didn’t prevent it being a good producer of eggs, but after a while the breed seems to have dropped away and is now primarily a rare show bird.

Rachel’s experience with her current rare birds, the Polish, is that they are certainly not bad layers, and quite easy to handle. “I believe if looked after well they can last up to twelve years,” she said. “Like most farm animals they can be trouble, but they look so grand with those big crests that they are quite forgivable!”

Certainly the Polish Chickens are not as prolific as Rachael’s flock of noisy Guinea Fowl. “One mother came in one day with no less than 28 babies in tow – it felt like an invasion!”