Rhode Island Reds... Aggressive...##&&$$$

[MassChick]

Ha-ha..I had to separate my Reds into another coop last fall from my Buff, Astrolorp, and Barred Rock because they were picking on my Buff terribly. I let them see each other through the chicken wire yesterday and the Reds started going after my Astrolorp this time! And she, like the Buff, is a gentle giant. They were pecking her face right through the wire. Am I just screwed thinking they will ever all get along??

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

RIR's can be aggressive....but it can also depend on how you are housing them.

You had them separated and now are re-introducing them, so it's an integration issue.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading, tho some info is outdated IMO:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[MassChick]

That's a great article. It's literally gritting your teeth. Thanks so much.

 

[aart]

That's a great article. It's literally gritting your teeth. Thanks so much.

<nods>....they can be vicious, it's alarming.
More space, multiple feed/water stations, places to hide.... all can help.

Might have to do some chicken juggling,
mixing and matching who is with whom in 2 or more separate enclosures to shake up the territoriality and pecking order.
That can work well, and it's interesting, if you have the time and inclination for that kind of effort.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How much room do you have, coop and run? What are the current ages of those chickens? Are you sure they are all female? How many chickens do you have?

Plenty of people have flocks that mix RIR, Buff Orps, Australorps, and many other breeds and have no real problems at all. In some the Buff Orps, BA’s, or even Silkies can be the problem, not the RIR’s. RIR’s have a reputation on this forum for being brutes, and some are. But some are no worse than any other breed. Assuming it’s just a breed and not some other factor causing the aggression, you may have just had some bad luck.

If you have sufficient room, once they mature if there is an age difference or you have a young flock maturing and establishing a pecking order, if you don’t have multiple roosters (and with enough space this may not be an issue), you may eventually have a very peaceful well-integrated flock. Right now I don’t know what is causing that aggression, so I have no idea what is going on now and I certainly can’t offer any suggestions. If you can tell us a bit about your circumstances we may be able to help with specific suggestions.

 

[MassChick]

Hi Ridgerunner,
So currently they are in two separate coops, and pens. The pens are both roughly 12 x 12. Four reds in one coop and one Buff, one BA and one BR in the other. They will all be about a year old in May/June. Yes they are definitely females.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That should be plenty of room. At 8 to 9 months they should be old enough. I don’t know what is going on, you destroyed all my theories with that info.

Aart may have a good suggestion. Take one RIR and toss her in with the others and see what happens. If they get along, try it again in a week or so with another one. It’s as good as anything I can come up with.

 

[MassChick]

You're too funny! I will definitely try it very slowly and see how it goes. LOL