We spoke to two Poland breeders this month: one an experienced Fancier, Stephen Hodge (who shows with his brother Graham), and Martin O’Hara, a newcomer to the breed. Stephen and Graham won the Best Soft Feather Light Bantam award at the National Show 2016 with a White Crested Black bantam female. We put the following questions to him...
Stephen, how many colours of Poland do you keep?
We did keep three colours: Self White, White Crested Black and White Crested Blues, but we have now just cut down to the White Crested Black bantams and White Crested Blue bantams.
Do you keep any large Polands?
We also kept a few White Crested Blacks in large but again with how demanding the breed is to keep them right we have now sold them to concentrate on the two colours of bantams. It's just with all the other breeds we also keep, some of them need more time so cutting down will allow us to concentrate more and not spoil as many for the showing season.
How many do you breed per year?
We find that we need to breed about 40 White Crested Blacks and 25-30 White Crested Blues (if possible), but it can vary from season to season with them. I also breed the White Crested with beards, but this is solely for the breeding programme.
How did it feel to win best Poland and Best Soft Feather Light at the National with a White Crested Black female?
This story is from the February 2017 edition of Fancy Fowl.
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This story is from the February 2017 edition of Fancy Fowl.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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