Adding baby chicks to flock?

[marywallin]

I am going through my first winter as a chicken owner and recently lost a chicken, getting me down to 5 hens. We'd like to replace her with one or two more hens.
My daughter's science class will be incubating chicks soon, and they offer the chicks to farmers or chicken owners after a few weeks. My question is, is it safe to have just one or 2 chicks in a brooder? And how would I integrate them into the flock?

 

[Judy]

It's not a good idea to raise a chick alone. They are flock animals and do much better with company. Even getting two is taking quite a chance. Of course, it's 50-50 whether they will be male or female, too. Different people handle integration different ways, but most say it's best for them to be about the same size, and housed separately but where they can see each other for a few weeks first. Here's a good article on it

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/188506/member-issue/10