Chicken Coop & Chicken Tractor Impact on Combining the Flock

[lahaskell]

I currently have 17 of my 6 week old hens in a permanent chicken coop, but I also have a chicken tractor that will accomodate 4-5 hens that I would like to use around the yard while in the leaving the others in the permanent coop. How do I choose which go in the chicken tractor & how are they going to react to each other when I put them back together in the perament coop when winter comes?

 

[eenie114]

Unless you have some odd circumstance going on, (like two hens that really hate each others' guts and need to be kept apart) i don't think it will matter too much who goes where. If you have a rooster you could keep him with specific hens in the tractor for more controlled breeding, I suppose.
As far as how they react to each other, don't worry about it too much. There will be a little bit of pecking as they get used to each other, but the pecking order will work itself out within a couple of days. Just sneak them in at night to make it less dramatic. Chickens really are not the brightest creatures and will look at the new ones in the morning going, "Huh? Have you always been here? Guess so..." and go about their business.