diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder.java
index e1cf93b45d..2dbd897ad6 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder.java
@@ -268,13 +268,13 @@ public class DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder extends ByteToMessageDecoder {
             }
 
             if (stripDelimiter) {
-                frame = buffer.readBytes(minFrameLength);
+                frame = buffer.readSlice(minFrameLength);
                 buffer.skipBytes(minDelimLength);
             } else {
-                frame = buffer.readBytes(minFrameLength + minDelimLength);
+                frame = buffer.readSlice(minFrameLength + minDelimLength);
             }
 
-            return frame;
+            return frame.retain();
         } else {
             if (!discardingTooLongFrame) {
                 if (buffer.readableBytes() > maxFrameLength) {
diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/FixedLengthFrameDecoder.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/FixedLengthFrameDecoder.java
index b4435d97d8..bef42a6ab8 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/FixedLengthFrameDecoder.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/FixedLengthFrameDecoder.java
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public class FixedLengthFrameDecoder extends ByteToMessageDecoder {
         if (in.readableBytes() < frameLength) {
             return null;
         } else {
-            return in.readBytes(frameLength);
+            return in.readSlice(frameLength).retain();
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/LineBasedFrameDecoder.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/LineBasedFrameDecoder.java
index f16646de02..ab49530de5 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/LineBasedFrameDecoder.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/LineBasedFrameDecoder.java
@@ -100,13 +100,13 @@ public class LineBasedFrameDecoder extends ByteToMessageDecoder {
                 }
 
                 if (stripDelimiter) {
-                    frame = buffer.readBytes(length);
+                    frame = buffer.readSlice(length);
                     buffer.skipBytes(delimLength);
                 } else {
-                    frame = buffer.readBytes(length + delimLength);
+                    frame = buffer.readSlice(length + delimLength);
                 }
 
-                return frame;
+                return frame.retain();
             } else {
                 final int length = buffer.readableBytes();
                 if (length > maxLength) {