The Road Island Red chickens?

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AKanimalLover

AKanimalLover

In the Brooder
6 Years
Jun 10, 2013
10
0
22
Hello, I have had chickens for years now, but i've never had the Road Island Reds. Until now, i've gotten 12 of them and they are just a few months old.. I would like to know whats the bad news about them: Do they peck each other bald? Cause i've had the Buff Orpington's , and they pluck each other bald till they bleed. But the reviews i've read about them are saying that their good layers and the docile and all of that. But i want to know if they are going to pluck each other bald, like the buffs. Because i cant stand that, it's terrible!
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Welcome to BYC. First, the name of the bird is linked to the State of Rhode Island.

The Rhode Island Red is now known by two distinctly different varieties. Hatchery birds and true bred, heritage, bred to standard fowl. The hatchery birds are all over the map. They typically have Brown Leghorn blood in them to make them better layers, which means more profits for the hatchery. You can see the influence in the body shape as they aren't brick shaped as a true bred Red should. They don't often have the long back or the lower carried tail of a true red. Hatchery reds often have tails mounted quite high. A true RIR is deep mahogany red, like a dark bing cherry.

The reason this is also important is that production reds, as they called, also have a different personality than the heritage Reds, which can only be secured from a preservationist minded breeder.

Pecking of birds is not the result of breeding, however. It is often the result of crowded conditions, boredom and is particular acute in flocks lacking protein, especially animal protein, in their diet. Feathers are essentially protein and feather pecking results when the diet isn't what it should be. The birds are also subject to lice and mites and sometimes feather pecking is caused by this infestation.

Hope that helps.
 
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Rhode Island reds are no more likely than any other breed to feather pick. Generally if feather picking/plucking becomes a problem there is some sort of husbandry issue - too little space, boredom, inadequate diet etc. If the problem arises in this new flock, get some Pinless Peepers and affix them to the birds. That should resolve the situation.
 
Actually, space is probably my problem. Almost every breed of chicken i've had has plucked each other terribly, i have a small coop. Allot of people tell me that it IS probably from boredom, Lol i figured that was the problem.. But it's kind of a pain to build a new coop. Luckily i'm moving soon, and i'll have 25 acres of land, instead of living in the subdivision .. But there was two breeds of chickens that never plucked each other, and got along with the other breeds we had. They were the Light Brahmas, and the Ameraucana chickens. Which, Those were my favorite kinds i ever had. So that is why i was thinking it could have to do with the breed.
 

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