Need help with aggressive chickens

[sheila3935]

I have 8 RIR and a black sex link rooster that is horribly mean to my other chickens and ducks. I cant figure out who is the ringleader. I am thinking of rehoming them but I hate to cause these were my first chickens and they are such good layers. My BSL roo is not aggressive with us but he is to my BR rooster and not very gentle to his girls so thats why I want to rehome him. I have read that RIR's can be aggressive to chickens of not the same breed and thats what I think is going on. I like my girls to range and really dont want to have to keep some of them locked up. So what I am asking is what would you all do? Part of me says get rid of the buggers the other is I dont know.

 

[Judy]

I would definitely get rid of the roo who was not being nice to my girls; I figure I owe them that much. We recently processed one for the same reason; he was fine around people but the hens were actually hiding from him, and watching him mate was a painful thing to see. As for RIR being mean or aggressive or preferring their own breed -- it's really an individual thing. RIR do seem to have an aggressive reputation, but some people find them to be just the opposite. I don't know how much of it is different genetics/lines, and how much is just different personalities.

 

[nwfl]

I like a calm well adjusted laying flock. I have always used a time out coop/pen for aggressive birds then if they don't show improvement into the pot they go.! I also had a bsl roo, big and meaner than sin. I keep my roos in seperate pens till I decide which I want to keep for breeding. My breeding birds also stay seperate in covered coop/run areas. He was one I was fattening for pot. Two days before my soup date a fox dug two feet under his run's wire apron. I haven't seen any evidence in my flock that the roo provides any extra protection from predators while ranging so they stay separate. All of my rir wentt into pot after a time. Now I have buff orp, cornish, welsumer, EE, and ameraucana flocks with some odd birds thrown in. Still have some scuffles now and then but no blood. Its tough for me witnessing overly aggressive behavior in my flocks. Best of luck to you.