Adding to my flock

[SA&P]

Hi,
I live in the UK and am a complete newbie to chickens so I need a bit of advice.
I have two pullets and a rooster (Silkies) and would like another 3 pullets this summer. Would Buff Orpingtons be a good choice? Or Australorps?
My trio are free range but go into a coop at night. I have bought another coop to keep the newbies in for a while until they’re integrated.
Oh, and how long do I keep them separate?

 

[azygous]

If you plan on an integrated flock, you best choice for breeds that would be compatible with Silkies would be to select some breeds from the bantam category. Mixing standard breeds with a bantam breed invites problems with the larger chickens taking unfair advantage of the smaller, docile Silkies.

Raising new chicks alongside the adults is, in my experience, the best and easiest way to integrate them into the flock. Read my article on brooding outdoors for the reasons why this works so well, and you can have the new chicks safely mingling with the adults by age two weeks. Look below this post for the URL.

 

[besorto]

I'd get other small, laid back breeds. Polish chickens are a personal favorite of mine since they're so darn cute!

 

[SA&P]

Thank you. Will look at Polish breeds .....