I have 17, 6.5-week old chicks that I would like to integrate into my flock of 24. The older (almost 6 months old) chickens usually are allowed to free range in the afternoons until dusk. Currently, my coop is just one big room (approx 8x8). I've thought about sectioning off an area for the little ones to stay in, inside the coop, but I have no easy way to let them outside without them mingling with the others and then leaving the run when we let them out to free range. I had planned to keep them "together but separate" for about a week so they'd become more accustomed to seeing each other. Any advice from the folks who've done this before?
You could section off part of the coop as you propose, and leave the new ones inside for a week or so to let them get to know each other. If they are fully feathered, they should be able to mix. I did something similar to this, but I have two coops adjacent to each with a run that is divided by a fence to give each coop its own area. The inner fence has a door in it. After the two had been looking at each other for a while, I simply opened the door and let it happen. Chris