How to best introduce new hens?

[hensofhallora]

Hi all,

I have 500 of my own free range hens who's eggs I sell at market. Sometimes I sell a few pullets to customers who want to add them to their own few laying hens.
I get a lot of calls from these people saying that the established hens just wont let the new pullets eat, or roost (or do anything other than hide).
I keep my flocks separate so I dont have the advice to help these people..... Has anyone got any ideas? Should the hens be thrown in together or somehow introduced slowly with a cage or separation system? How long does it take? I have people saying they are willing to build a whole new coop just to sort it out quickly!

Thanks!

 

[goldies99]

they need a fence or something to seprate them...but so they can see each other...just not attack each other!...they will
hang around and look at each other through the fence...(or cage or pen)...give them food and water so they dont have to share...
i would do this for about a week....then my trick was to take one hen from the old big flock...put them in with the new hens....and do this a
few days adding a hen each day with a hens from the old flock....(just watch them so they dont peck )...i have all happy chickens now!...
they still seem to have their own groups...but no one is killing each other!