Adding new Chickens to a small flock-Old chickens are being jerks

[CaptainCupcake]

So I've got 4 Rhode Island Red Hens that I got Easter of 2019 as day old's. Earlier this year I added a mixed breed hen "Peeps" (now 6 months old), and last week I added a Bielfielder hen "Casserole" & Maran Rooster "Fricassee" (both 4-5 months). And my Red's are Not Happy. They don't like, attack them but they wont let them in the coop and wont let them near any extra food/treats I toss in their run. Peeps just tries to sleep on top of the Coop, and I saw the other 2 try to go in the coop tonight, but when I went back to lock up they settled down outside the coop.

Any tricks for getting the Reds to accept them? Can I take out my Alpha Chicken for a couple days? Or should I just keep making sure to lock them in the coop every night and hope they get used to each other? So far my Rooster hasn't crowed yet, do you think that could be because he's scared of the reds?

 

[JaeG]

Rhode Island Reds can be quite aggressive chickens. If they are being particularly mean to the point that they are injuring your new chickens or preventing them eating despite multiple feeding stations you could cage the worst offenders inside the coop (removing them completely means you'd have to reintegrate them) for a week so that they lose their place in the pecking order. Integration does take a long time for things to settle down into the new normal.

Until your rooster has matured a little more and gained a bit of confidence he probably will stay quiet. Our 6 month old cockerel has only recently found his voice, though he has a slightly older bantam cockerel to contend with.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How big is your coop and run? How many roosts are available? How much clutter do you have in your run ( https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/ )

 

[2006powerstroke90]

I was having an issue like this. I ended up giving them alone time. Some would get locked in the coop while others were in the run and vice versa.
Eventually they figured out to play nice.

 

[DesertGrrl]

RIRs are one of the more aggressive breeds (if not more the most aggressive).
It's the only reason that I didn't buy them for my flock.

 

[aart]

How did you introduce them?

How big is your coop and run? How many roosts are available?

Yes, dimensions and pics would help immensely here.