Poland's - res publica (Union of the Republic)
A Treatis of the Origins of the Polish Chicken
Written by Stanislaw Roszkowski and Jaroslaw Wartacz of Warsaw Poland (Translated by Monika Krosnicka)
Where do Poland’s come from? Is there any common foremother of them? Why are there various names of Poland’s in different countries? These are really interesting and fascinating questions. For sure, there are no breeders of Poland’s in Europe, or maybe even in the whole World, who wouldn’t wonder about this subject. How big emotions are here, how many arguments. There is no reason to be surprised about this - because in case of Poland’s, this is a matter of the most beautiful hen (chicken) in the World. Until this time due to many years of isolation of Poland on international area, our breeders had no possibility to present their arguments. There is occasion today to catch up with backing. We hope, that our western colleagues will be interested to read, what opinions do we have in this matter.
After gaining an insight into this problem and penetrating consideration in all possible areas – genetic, historic, geographic, culture, language – we will try to present clear picture of descent for both Poland’s and related races.
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It is commonly accepted, and we also induce to this theory, that Poland’s began their conquest of Europe from areas of southern Russia. Primordial Poland’s came to these areas from Asia in 13th century together with nomadic Mongolian people and with Chyngis-chan, which empire in those times ranged from Pacific to Black Sea.
Nowadays, after tens years of non-existing there are regenerating the Pavlovskaya fowl in Russia (about this race we will write more detailed in further part of this special issue), which nowadays are practically unknown in Europe due to many years of isolation of this country on international arena. Even Pallas mentioned at second half of 18th century about this fowl describing its silver and gold variety. We are disposed to give a thesis, that the Pavlovskaya fowls survived until our times with unchanged form due to mentioned isolation of Russia – probably this is exactly or similar haw the foremother of present Poland’s looked like in middle-age.
Surprising is also unusual and non-accidental similarity of Pavlovskaya fowl to Sultans, what is a proof of heir common roots.
Subsequently chickens were taking over by Ruthenian and as result of Union of Lublin they occur within borders of Poland. XVI century in Poland, it was a period of forming magnates, but the biggest properties was built on Eastern Border Lands. Owners of latyfundias see their way to “tourist” traveling and also to give their sons education in European universities. They were traveling in most of cases to Italy. Those days there were two universities in the running – in Bologna and in Padua. Because of technical reasons such traveling was taking a long time, so master was going with all his property, he was taking with him everything, what was needed and necessary – even animals. At 17th century magnates also supported private army, usually they were foreign soldiers of fortune, which after agreement period came back to their countries taking with them everything they collected. Those times it was a period of growing of barter exchange, with leadership of Holland
Poland of XV, and especially of XVI century was the biggest country of contemporary Europe. Frequent contacts with Tatars – economic or military had to be everyday life. Borders of Poland leaded almost to Krym – from that place probably Polish chickens dispersed through all contemporary eastern Poland – present Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and western Russia. At these times Poland was wealthy, rich and peaceful, and those factors always helps to development of stable breeding, even if breeding work at those times wasn’t of course similar to present one, which use scientific knowledge, including genetics. Every breed needs much peace for tens of years. That’s why even little war cause huge devastation of it. If the husbandry is carrying out to feast our eyes on, wonted or not for further breeding there are chosen witch characteristic features – in this case with characteristics crest. So even at those times people living Eastern Europe area was carrying out almost incidentally, first breeding works.
In our opinion all contemporary Poland’s in Europe came to it on two different trails. The first one is north trail. On this way hens from area of Eastern Europe migrated directly to Netherlands and to Germany. To testify to it there are many local types existing, starting from houdans, creve cour, breds, Brabant and finishing on Appenzellers, which from the look are similar to Pavlovskaya fowls. The second is south trail. Polish crested chicken, which got to Italy as a result of crossing with local chickens, lost parts of their features - these was namely heavily feathered shanks and the fifth finger, and because of the fact, that all Mediterranean races have very uniform types, they form population with very regular shape of body– nucleus of future race. Primordial Poland’s was speckled almost for sure, similar to contemporary (and also those, described by Pallas) Pavlovskaya fowls, and as well as appenzellers, barbarian or eulens. In this moment of our research we cannot answer the question, did crested chickens get characteristic scaly in Italy? Maybe it was later, when English, Germans and Dutchmen started work on Poland’s. Related Italian races doesn’t have such a draw, what means, that they didn’t have it long time ago. The only exception is Andalusia’s, which have black scales on blue background. What is interesting, so perfect scales on this blue background we saw only at big crested chickens during last year exhibition in Radom city in Poland. Blue varieties of these races doesn’t have so distinct draw.
Special instance – Aldrovandi (border I)
For separate discussion deserve amazing instance of Italian ornithologist Ulisses Aldrovandi, who published his work „Ornithologiae” in the year of 1600, where was described among other things black crested chickens, which was met in place Pilferer in neighborhood of Padua. The author and his work are present in all compilations which ambition is to give presentation of history of genesis of Poland’s. These are keywords, skeleton keys which make easier to open every door and which explain every doubt. They are like Buddhist mantra, something in sort of spell, which there are not speak about but which we accept a’priori. No else that Aldrovandi is „maker” of name, which is used in German languages countries to describe crested breaded chickens – Padoue, while he never use such a term.
Somebody will say – this is the oldest source describing crested, from which we should take knowledge on interested for us subject. Beside lets give some respect to the history, to the author who scooped others ornithologists and scientists for about one hundred years. Of course we should admire old masters. But we cannot be impressionable like in this case, unfortunately we have met such an instance here. What did this ornithologist do? He described race of hens met in neighborhood of Padua. He didn’t describe any other crested fowls, which was popularly occurring even at those times not only on areas on east from Poland, in Poland as in Western Europe. Furthermore – he didn’t describe also other crested fowls, which was occurring on other areas of Italy, he concentrated on this one, Italian place. His drawing signed Gallus Patavinus – concerning to mythological at some part, known form Aristotle patavinian fowls. It follows that he didn’t think about Crested fowls as indigenous Italian race. He wrote, that he s a w in Padua crested chickens and named theme patavian, so is name Padoue rather questionable merit of translators „Ornithologiae”? So this wasn’t him, but all following scientists started to use name Padoue, and they as an ironic invoked to him. Why? Word “padoue” made international career while the Italian weren’t know as an empire of breeding Crested fowls in opposite to English, Dutchmen or Germans. What would be happened if Aldrovandi met this type op fowls for example in Rome, or even worse in Paris? How would we call them? Roman or Parisian? If our hens took their name from any of English or Dutch cities instead from Padua – it would have its own historical logic. Padua has no logic. Great works of history are great because each individual case is analyzed on wider background, historical background. We could say in commonly way – from detail to totality. In this specified instance, we have nothing to do with such a thing. This is author in neighborhood of Padua met s o m e crested hens, he gave them s o m e name. That’s all. Once again let us ask, why others did start to use name “Padoue” so eagerly? Well that’s why, that name “Poland’s”, as well as any other polish things, to put it mildly, somehow associated with something worse. They preferred “Padoue” even though this name had and still has no historical reason. In addition, presented on drawing Patvinian fowl and Poland’s (Padoue) are as different as chalk and cheese.
By the way we can’t to resist to some reflection. On example of Aldrovandi we can see haw strong magic a written word has Average readers of newspapers take as an axiom this, what is printed on a paper. Many times we can hear this kind of opinion, when some “doubting Thomas” has doubts about some event – but they w r o t e t h i s in newspaper! One of he authors of this elaboration was a journalist in one of the biggest weekly magazines with half of million editions for several years. He perfectly knows mechanisms, how mass media can make a beautiful, Arabian mare form poor jade. Some of them go further – they can do beautiful mare form a ram.
It is needed to notice, that Poland Fowls didn’t migrate from East to West through Poland country with unchanged form. Originally they had rather thin and ruffled crests, as well as Pavlovskaya fowls or Brabarian, but later polish authors give attention to distinct development of crest. Konstanty from Siemuszkowo in the year of 1866, in his excellent Historyi naturalnej < (Natural history) > Swojskie kury < (Familiar fowls) which is reading even today because of its interesting language, he mentioned just like that about chickens with full and filled crest, in additional they was very popular, and 20 years later Gaff was describing white crested black. This is interesting, because this kind of flows survived until these days, as wrote our contemporary author prof. Ksiazkiewicz, in Malopolska (Little Poland) and Kielecczyzna region. One of the authors of this publication has seen this kind of hens by his own science he was a child in his neighborhood it’s mean in Lubelszczyzna region. These fowls were and they are quite often occurring on the villages, where for sure they weren’t treat as decoration, but as usable poultry. They are occurring the most frequently in colors red, black, hawk and goshawk, in their crests there is often quite big number of white feathers. Their crests consist of not very long feathers, but they are dense and ball shaped. They combs are quite well grown-up, but it is like it “pushed” to the front of head, rotated and sometimes divided on two. Older chatelaines remember, that at past times quite often there was occurring among them hens with five fingers. These fowls have much more massive structure of the body and they was heavier then present Poland’s – this is conform to Graff’s description. Only addition of Mediterranean blood gave them slight structure of the body.
It is well known, that big contribution to breeding of Poland's had English. In their case we have big dilemma – if there was using name Padoue in German language countries, why were they known in England since ever as Polish fowls? In our opinion it is easy to explain. Unfortunately the politic have here big meaning. Because England lays in some way next to Europe, the word Poland haven’t disturb ever to English (we will give more wide comments about polish nature of our fowls later). They have ability to be neutral and not to change functioned since centuries name. What is interesting, in English language countries white crested fowls are one of colors variety of non bearded Poland’s – they do not divide Poland’s for white crested and bearded like in our country, but they divided them to bearded and non-bearded.
Other interesting case is white crested called in Europe Holland’s. This Fowl has no similarity to fowls from northern-western Europe, but it has almost identical structure of the body as crested bearded (Padoue). There is little probability that Dutchmen had some special contribution with creating of archer of this fowl variety. Beside Gallus Patavinus of Aldrovandi is in fact white crested black. Graff conform this, describing white crested as native polish fowls in the year of 1887. These fowls as well as other varieties came from Italy to England – probably it was not until 17th or even in 19th, they came already as completely formed race. Why has white crested a name of Holland’s in Western Europe countries, especially in German language countries? Well because, that without any discussion Dutchmen had eminent effect to present look of these fowls. Fact, that it looks like this, and not in other way it is their merit. To such an extent that Dutchmen absolutely deserve to consider white crested (Hollander haubenhunter) as one of their native races. .
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