Red Star Hoodlums - Near the end of my patience

[chick4chicks]

I have Red Sex Links and Golden Comets. I love them they are great layers but they do pick on 3 of my 5 EE pullets and I do have an EE rooster in with them . I put blue kote on them it helped for a while now today i see the one was picked on again so I blue koted her again. I really want to keep them all together but if I have to separate them them I have to is all. SIGH.

 

[Chicabee19]

I have decided not to get Golden Comets/Red Stars/Sex-Links after all!

 

[HorseFeathers]

Wow, we have sort of the opposite prob- our old EE Penny picked our RS Rita bare on the bum, poor gal. Reety doesn't seem to even notice and keeps on pumping out the whopping great eggs- I mean she is a small chicken, but lays the biggest eggs of our flock! They must be at LEAST 1/3 of her body weight. Rita is the cleverest chicken we have when it comes to a) treats or b) getting out into the yard

. She really is a sweet little bird though. We love her.

 

[HorseFeathers]

Quote:
I think it really depends on the bird. Plenty of people have adorable cuddly kind RSs.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Interesting turn of events . . . i was feeling sorry for Grace being picked on again this afternoon. The Hot Pick obviously did not work. So i pulled her out into her old pen. After a bit, i thought she might be lonely, so pulled Penny out and put her in with Grace.

Grace pounced on her back, right on top of her (!) and started viciously pecking her head and neck. It was the most ferocious attack i have ever seen between chickens. i immediately shoved Grace off and pulled Penny to safety, back with the Reds.

Now, my husband told me previously that he has seen Grace jump on Penny, but i hadn't. And the other mystery solved is why Penny has been losing all the feathers on her neck. i noticed the other day that Grace was yanking on her face and throat feathers. Penny just stood there frozen. i thought maybe Grace wasn't getting enough food, so made sure there was food all around the pen. But then the other morning there was a huge chunk of feathers pulled out of Penny's neck. The Red Stars are afraid of her, so that must have been Grace again.

It's clear now i can never again put Penny back in with Grace. i love Penny with all my heart and her safety and happiness is more important than any of the other hens. So i will be rehoming Grace, if possible. She is a good egg layer, and hopefully can fit in better with another flock. Penny and the Reds can enjoy the new coop and pen all to themselves.

 

[Chicky Joy]

That's no fun. Sounds like you have a solution afterall though.