My barred rocks are also known around here as "the Mean Girls"

[hengrenades]

Haven't been on for a while, kept losing my password and finally reset it. I have 20 barred rocks; I love them. They are great layers and started off laying normal sized eggs, hardly got any pullet eggs from them at all. They are great with us but not other birds I also had a flock or RIR's but my barreds wouldn't allow us to add them into the flock. We tried adding one from each flock at a time into a new coop that hadn't been either groups territory. The mean girls go after any other hens and are very territorial. Two of them got one of the RIRs in the corner and just beat the poor little soul badly, pecking a huge hole in the back of her head that was too severe an injury. We had to put her down. I'd like to get some more hens but wonder if there is a way to get them to allow others to join their group. Anyone out there have some experience with Barred Rock Mean Girls?

 

[hengrenades]

Sorry, should have included that they are not overcrowded at all, have lots of nest boxes and plenty to eat and drink. They are free ranged in the summer in our huge back yard and only in their coop in the winter. We got them from a hatchery and they all arrived here together.
Thanks

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I have a mixed flock and my two Barred Rocks are top of the pecking order, but they are only two out of eight, so they are not really bullies. Maybe if you chose a larger and more assertive breed- like Wyandotte perhaps. Then introduce whole group of the new breed to the coop first and introduce the Barred Rocks on at a time. But from the sounds of it having separate coops would be safer.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I've never had BR's that were that aggressive. They are always at or near the top of the pecking order but they've never been aggressive or bully birds at all. If your birds are that aggressive and you were not able to integrate the RIR's then I don't think I would attempt integrating any new birds again.

 

[hengrenades]

Thanks for the replies The only other way I can think to add to my flock of BR's might be to put a roo in with them and let some of them hatch out eggs, at least momma might be able to integrate them that way. Otherwise its probably going to be the separate coops rather than more carnage.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Do any of them have a history of going reliabley broody?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

My Barred Rock hens have a rooster, but they have never gone broody.

 

[hengrenades]

Not yet, but perhaps with a rooster they might.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I have usually had a rooster with the flock, and some breeds go broody and others just do not. My Barred Rocks have not gone broody over their two years. But I have had some breeds that would go broody more than once a year.