How do I introduce new chicks to a 2 year old flock?

[twclayers]

I have been to the website many times, but new to the forum. Please bear with me.

A quick summary of where we are:

We got our first flock almost 2 years ago, got 18 Red Star (Red S*x Link) chicks, and ended up with all hens. We have only lost one, so we still have 17. They are more like pets than poultry, (wanting her shoulders scratched!) when we come in the coop to feed . They give us, on average, probably 12-15 eggs per day. They are fenced in, to keep out ground and airborn predators.

We have been providing eggs for our family and co-workers, but now we have others wanting more eggs than we can provide with the flock we have. So we are considering adding to the flock, but are not sure how to go about it. We know we will need to add fencing for additional run space, and are prepared for that.

My question is, what is the procedure for introducing new chickens to an already established flock?

Thanks for any advice you can give. (If any additional information is needed, I can provide coop/

 

[DrinkTheRainbow]

Are they like chick baby? Or like few weeks cuz depending on how big they are might decide the outcome of their lives. We would introduce a lot of chickens at once because we came to fairs and the chicks would get pummeled by other chicks and pushed around by the super big ones lol and they would disappear then we would find a carcass...

 

[savingdogs]

I would wait until your chicks are feathered out before putting them with the flock. Put a group in there at the same time, never just one or two. Then put them in at night when everyone is going to sleep. The next day, keep a close eye on things when you let them out of the coop. It might take a few days/weeks for everyone to be accustomed to each other.