The old "rules" said you needed to wait until chicks grew to full size before integrating, but a few years ago, some of us staged a revolt and began doing things completely differently, and we now see that adult chickens accept small chicks much quicker than older chicks. (See article below on outdoor brooding.)
Now that your chicks are mature, you need to ease the two groups together. You need to understand that it's normal for the youngsters to be very intimidated by the adults. You never said how many, or I didn't see it.
Hopefully, there are not more of the adults than there are youngsters.
The chicks may be reluctant to roost with the adults. They may not feel comfortable using the same feeder. And you might have a bully among the adults that will take advantage of the youngsters lack of self confidence. So you need to give the youngsters some advantages.
First, start them off, as others have suggested, in their own pen during the day so they can observe the adults before you let them mingle. This will give them a head start on figuring out the different temperaments of the older ones. At night, let them all roost together, but if you can, give the youngsters their own perch or put a divider up between the adults and them or they just might get shoved off and beak hammered.
The most important thing to do after you let the two groups mingle is to give the younger ones their own feeding station above ground level. It's as simple to do as bringing in a card table and putting food and water on it. Don't worry, the young ones will find it and enjoy having a rest area above the fray. But this is important so they get enough to eat.
As for molting, it can go on for several months. Some chickens molt hard and fast and other draw out the process over a couple months or more. They often stop laying during molt and don't start again until the days begin getting longer again after the new year. I usually wait until molt is over and then start putting lights on a timer to get eggs a bit sooner.
Now that your chicks are mature, you need to ease the two groups together. You need to understand that it's normal for the youngsters to be very intimidated by the adults. You never said how many, or I didn't see it.
Hopefully, there are not more of the adults than there are youngsters.
The chicks may be reluctant to roost with the adults. They may not feel comfortable using the same feeder. And you might have a bully among the adults that will take advantage of the youngsters lack of self confidence. So you need to give the youngsters some advantages.
First, start them off, as others have suggested, in their own pen during the day so they can observe the adults before you let them mingle. This will give them a head start on figuring out the different temperaments of the older ones. At night, let them all roost together, but if you can, give the youngsters their own perch or put a divider up between the adults and them or they just might get shoved off and beak hammered.
The most important thing to do after you let the two groups mingle is to give the younger ones their own feeding station above ground level. It's as simple to do as bringing in a card table and putting food and water on it. Don't worry, the young ones will find it and enjoy having a rest area above the fray. But this is important so they get enough to eat.
As for molting, it can go on for several months. Some chickens molt hard and fast and other draw out the process over a couple months or more. They often stop laying during molt and don't start again until the days begin getting longer again after the new year. I usually wait until molt is over and then start putting lights on a timer to get eggs a bit sooner.
