Hi! OK I've got three 6week old chickens, and just got another one today - a 4 week old. I figured better to add one now while they're young. Do you think that, at these ages, there will be many problems?? I planned on sticking the new one in there tonight but after reading these boards now Im nervous, I surely don't want to wake up tomorrow to a dead chicken!! Especially because it looks like this new one will be my favorite, she's real sweet. Should I wait until morning and go in there and sit with them, or is it okay to put her in there late tonight and hope the pecking order thing goes smoothly in the AM??
They'll probably be okay, but I'd introduce them in an open space where the new one can run away if need be. Give them lots of greens or things to distract them. There will be some pecks and some squeaks. Don't freak out. They're just sorting things out. It may take a couple days of supervision, but they'll adjust.
I just did the exact same thing - introduced one bird to a flock of three. Mine are older than yours - 16 weeks and 14 weeks. I put the new one in a brooder cage next to the coop, so they got to see eachother and get aquainted for almost a week. Then today I put her in the coop with the older three. I know they advise doing it at night, but I knew if I did that I would be up all night worried about her, checking on them in the wee hours of the morning. It went well today, some pecking of course, but they all seem fine. I also threw a lot of treats. I didn't want to put them in the open because I was afraid I'd never catch her if she ran, given her size.