Introducing new chicks

[senickell]

Ok so this is going to sound strange: my husband and I recently added two younger pullets,the woman says 4-6 months old, to our current flock, two 10 month olds. We have them in a kennel to keep them separated while they adjust to each other, and the older ones normally just free range and pay them little mind. However, for the first time since they started laying, one of them has had an off day, and both of them are roosting in my husband's sawhorse at night. We physically have to put them in their coop!! We are guessing it is because the 2 new pullets are beside their coop and they don't like them in their space, but is this really the case?! If so, will this phase pass? We normally close the coop at night after we get done with dinner to keep critters out, but these past 2 nights we have had to corral them in! They are like children I swear! The little's seem pretty carefree about the whole thing, but we are trying to figure out how to get past this phase and when to let the babies out with the big girls? Any ideas?

 

[1muttsfan]

It is always a good idea to quarantine new birds for at least 3 weeks - they should be in a completely different area than your current flock to minimize the chance of disease transmission.


If you have already done that, given time they should get used to the newcomers, keep doing what you are doing for a while longer, then start letting them out together.

 

[aart]

Posted my suggestions here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1035098/protesting-hens-what-in-the-world#post_15956056