Black Stars

[springcreekfarm6400]

Hello,
I have just discovered this site and am enjoying it very much. There is always something to learn about our little feathered buddies.
I have about 175 laying hens right now and have a question. I decided to try some Black Stars this spring and have not been real happy with them. They are agressive to each other and seem to die very easily. In answer to the anticipated questions, I have raised chickens successfully for several years, use a reputable hatchery and the birds have all of their requirements meet or exceeded. I also have 12 Red Stars without any of these problems. Has anyone else raised any Black Stars and have you had any of these problems with them?
I also have Buff Orpingtons, Araucanas, White Rocks, Barred Rocks, Black Australorps and RIR. These birds are all doing great and exibit none of the behaviors that the Black Stars have shown. Is it the Leghorn in them that causes this?
Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[cw]

from ky
wow thats a lot of hens you a breeder

 

[Silkiefan]

I am gonna be no help whatsoever... but I would like to extend a warm welcome!

 

[thebirdfarm]

I only have one black star, but she is picked on by every other hen that I own and she never defends herself just runs. But only one so not a solid answer really.

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

from Vermont!!

sorry, I have no black stars, but hopefully someone will come along who has lots and can answer your question

nice to have you here

 

[froggie71]

and

from NJ! I'm afraid I can't help with the Black Star question either but I'm sure someone will have an answer for you soon.

 

[michelle1017]

 

[springcreekfarm6400]

Hello and thank you all for the warm welcome! I have had the best time reading all of the responses.
No, I am not a breeder. Things just sort of snowballed. We got 25 Buffs and Araucanas. When they started laying we had extra eggs and were giving them to friends and family. I added the Red Stars and Black Stars out of curiosity and had even more eggs so we decided to sell some. Our customer base quickly expanded and I had people stopping by every day for eggs and we were always out. Customers started calling in orders! So we added 20 more Buffs and 30 Rhode Island Reds. AND 25 more Araucanas since the originals were 2 years old. This last batch has been laying for a few weeks and we are still short of eggs all of the time. On this past Thursday 11 White Rocks,14 Barred Rocks and 25 Black Australorps arrived. Hopefully, when they are all laying around January our customers will be satisfied. Some of those women can get pretty testy when the egg fridge is empty.
Oh, we also have Pierogi, our White Crested Black Polish rooster. He guards the aisles of the barn outside of the coop.
Other members of the farm are our 2 horses. Dreamer, who is a 3/4 Arab buckskin show horse and our registered foundation quarter horse, Cisco. His speciality is games, barrels and poles and flag race. Both are our daughter's horses. We have a bunch of barn cats, 1 house cat and my border collie, Tyler.
Chunky Monkey is the gold fish.
I am really looking forward to having more "fowl" friends. I live in SE Michigan. Anybody close by?
Thanks again for the warm welcome.
Roseann

 

[gaduke]

From Ky!

 

[Opa]

Quote:
You're wrong. Welcoming people to this site is a vital part of what makes people feel like coming back.