How do I combine all my laying hens together?

[jrhodes]

I will be putting some new laying hens in with the older ones. I have heard that a good time to do this is at night time. Can anyone offer any advice on this?

 

[helloroe]

When I have blended them I usually put the newbies in a large dog crate inside the coop in the early evening. So as the girls come in they smell them and get acquainted. Then I release everyone in the morning and they go free ranging, when they all come to roost at night I have not had trouble and I have blended 4 times in the last year.

I have heard other people say they put the new ones on the roost so they all wake together. My girls, any activity, they wake up and are not happy about being awoken so it didnt work well for mine.