Rhode Island Red's

[terrilhb]

I have 2 RIR Roosters and 11 RIR Hens. And a Bantam Rose Comb Rooster. A few months ago a dog broke into our chicken coop and killed 12 of my hens. They were all around 3 months old. I have read that RIR roosters are very protective of their hens. When this happened they were all hiding in a corner on their nests. Is this because they were so young? I don't know alot about RIR's so I appreciate any info I can get. Thanks

 

[DLS]

Good choice for Georgia. I have a yard full of them. I don't keep roosters so I can't say about how mean they are after they grow up.
but most roo's protect there ladys.

 

[magicpigeon]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Agressive RIRs can be a generalisation, and maybe your were too young for "hormones" to get in the way

I have "chicken" (literally and figuratively) roosters who don't protect their hens in the face of danger but I once met a RIR rooster who tried to bite me as I was bending over tying my shoelaces...XD

 

[ryanhodapp]

There is a thread on here by "The official Heritage Rhode Island Red Site". you might want to ask them.

But to be honest, a dog in the coop is just plain trouble.

 

[terrilhb]

how do i find the thread on here by "The official Heritage Rhode Island Red Site". thank you all appreciate it

 

[BarredBuff]

My RIR roo is very protectective of his women.....

 

[PepsNick]

I guess that mainly the RIR roos are good for protection. But then, you can't ever say for sure. With roos, you can't really say much about their personality by breed. Just like how you can't say when a hen will start laying by breed. I have a friend with an evil RIR hen... unlike what the breed is known for. But for sure, most roos are protective over their girls.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think it might be an age thing. It takes a while for the hormones to kick in, and until they do, a roo is just part of the flock, but not the leader or protector of the flock.

Last week, my roo sent his ladies into the hen house, and he stayed outside, to squawk at my SIL hunting dog, who was barking all around the run. I was pleased.

Monica

 

[Pinky]

I have a RIR rooster and he's very good at letting everyone know when a bird flies through the yard, even if it's a blue jay, but the most he's ever done when my sister's dog came over was lead the hens to a safe hiding place. He didn't attack the dog but I think the dog was intimidated a bit by his size( the rooster was half the size of the dog!) because the dog didn't chase him either. Like Ms. K said, I think your roosters were just too young