are the chicks old enough to go in with others?

[americana-chick]

I have 9 young chickens that are about 2-3 months old so I figured they could go in with the bigger chickens but the pen I will be putting them in, the older chickens are pretty aggressive and it is very hot here and gets between 95 to 100 degrees here so I am worried about them over heating but they are to big for their old pen and I need that pen for a broody hen. I moved them for the night and have to leave tomorrow around 10 30 so do you think they will be alright? I need help fast!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Introductions are often best done outside for a few days. I've been turning loose the present flock with the "future" flock the last few days and things are going pretty well. The younger birds are now 13 weeks and getting close to being able to hold their own. They've been next to each other, through pen netting for months, of course, but once it comes to actually getting 20+ birds to establish pecking order, things can get a little dicey.

 

[americana-chick]

They have all been free ranging together since they where around 1 1/2 months old and it still isn't helping. The older hens are just not nice.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I suspect that the younger ones will have to "push back" at some point, for this to happen. If they are too young, they are hesitant to feel confident to push back. This is why most folks here say that the younger chickens need to physically able to "stand up" for themselves. Yes, there are some older hens who can be wickedly tough on new comers into the pecking order. You said your younger chicks are 2-3 months old. That is 8-12 weeks in age? That's a little young for them to fight back. At 16-18 weeks, they will become much more willing to engage the pecking order issues, food and roost politics, etc.

I also find it helpful to remove the very top two queen bees for a day or two. Those top queens' absence can disrupt the pecking order enough to allow for some ordering to shuffle out. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

So, what breed are the Queen Bees?

 

[americana-chick]

Hmmm... maybe tomorrow morning I will just move them back. They are over half the size of the older birds but I don't think they will fight back. And next week it is supposed to be cooler out so maybe letting them in the pen with the older birds for an hour or 2 each day then might help?

There aren't that many chickens in the pen I want to move them in but the "queen bees" are all mutts from my big chicken run.
Thanks for the help!