Chicken Math! Multiplication, now how do I add?

[johnsonfarm]

Have a question on how momma chickens get along when they have different ages of chicks. I started out with 4 banty chickens, one hen disappeared to sit on eggs. The other 3 live in a chicken tractor at night and free range during the day.

My husband built a coop to house about 10 regular size hens.

Then my inlaws surprised us with a bantam hen and her 5 chicks, which they put in the coop while we were gone.

So every night my original 3 go to the tractor, mama and her brood go to the coop. Wasn't sure when I should start putting them all together, but they seem to free-range together just fine.

Back to my hen that went missing, today she showed up with 9 adorable little puff balls! So all morning she was out alone with her babies, but when I let all the other chickens out she quickly called the chicks together and sat on them. At what point can I start putting her in the coop, or the tractor with her original companions? Will the older chicks pick on the younger ones? Will the mama hens get along?

I would like eventually for everyone to be in the coop, now that there are 19!!!!!!!
Any suggestions on how to go about this?

(We won't be keeping all the chicks either, roosters will be given away and I promised if some are blue cochins to give a couple to my sister in law (black cochin hen and splash roo are the parents)).

 

[five is my dog]

a mama will protect her chicks. i would have them all free ranging together and slowly move them in all together.
you can lead them all into one pen one day when they are all used to each other

 

[Happy Chooks]

I would let them go where they are comfortable until the babies are older. Then close off the coop you don't want used and put them all together at night.

And on chicken math, chicks don't count - so you are fine.

 

[johnsonfarm]

Thanks, now for a follow up question! We were just given 8 young hens. So I put them in the coop and kicked mama & babies out (planning to put them in the tractor with the other banties since they seem to be getting along fine, and then when the full size hens are introduced during free range hopefully start putting everyone in the coop?)

Is this necessary? Do you think that the young hens (which are the size of the mama banty) and the mama & chicks could get along in that coop during the night?