I have 9 five month olds at home and I am going to get 3 for four more 5 month old pullets? How should I introduce them?
I've only done it twice. First time I kept the new hen(she was a rescue) in the garage for a few days. It was very cold outside. Then on a Sat. night(i had no work the next day) I put the new hen in with my 2 other RIR's about an hour after they went to roost. Next morning I opened the coop up early to allow for an escape route. I watched them throughout the day and there was some pecking and squaking, but nothing too intense. about 3 weeks later all was good. The 2nd intro. i did I kept my 2 new pullets in a coop/run next to the other hens for about a week. Then did the whole Sat. night intro. all over. About a month later all was good. I think the key is giving the new hens a place to get away. Extra roosts, large enough run, objects in the run to hide behind. I noticed the new ladies were usually o.k. if they could keep out of site. I do think it's going to be different for every situation. good luck
