Introducing different ages

[Mewsfate]

I have a group of 2.5 month olds and 1.5 month olds now in the new coop and run i have but I'm thinking about buying these two 5 month old frizzle pullets from a local. After quarantine how would you guys recommend introducing? A small pen in the run and coop? Do you think they'll be to big for the others? ( everyone's a bantam ) and should the quarantine be a month?

 

[azygous]

Quarantine is good only for discovering respiratory disease, and treating worms before letting new chickens into your flock. A week to ten days should be good to accomplish this. It won't reveal avian viruses these new chickens could be carrying. Quarantine is totally useless to detect these far more serious and deadly diseases where symptoms can lie dormant for months and years before manifesting into something recognizable.

The real challenge will be the different sizes and ages you will be introducing. Understand that chickens prefer to keep their distance from strange newcomers and vice versa until they all have had a chance to observe one another and learn gradually these new personalities and temperaments. This takes about a week. Then you can let them begin to mingle.

Lots of space, lots of perches at varying heights, and lots of barriers to hide behind will make things easier on all of them. Expect conflict of very short duration from time to time as they sort out the pecking order. Try not to interfere unless it goes on for more than a half a minute and escalates.

The most important thing is food and making sure every chicken is getting enough. Multiple feeding stations will help. For the youngest, if you place their food and water inside an enclosure with openings only large enough for them to get through, that will insure they get what they need for their growth spurts.

 

[Hei 20]

I have a group of 2.5 month olds and 1.5 month olds now in the new coop and run i have but I'm thinking about buying these two 5 month old frizzle pullets from a local. After quarantine how would you guys recommend introducing? A small pen in the run and coop? Do you think they'll be to big for the others? ( everyone's a bantam ) and should the quarantine be a month?