Introducing older chickens to a flock

[RileyB]

I've read a lot of posts about how to introduce younger chickens to older chickens, but what about the other way around? Has anyone ever introduced a few older chickens to a flock of younger chickens? Tonight I brought home 3, three month old chickens (2 pullets and one cockerel). My other 11 birds (8 chickens and three ducks) are all at or around 7 weeks old. The bigger of the new hens (3 month old ones) immediately started going after the younger chickens and ducks and pecking them (very aggressively). She and the other two new additions are also 2-3 times the size of the younger birds (except one duck who the hen pecked anyway). It wasn't that she would only peck when they came over to her, rather she made it a point to go out of her way to peck them. Tonight we have the three new ones separated. I'm hoping they will be able to integrate with one another...

Has anyone ever had a similar situation that worked out or didn't work out?

 

[sourland]

It will work out eventually, but you will have better success if you wait until the young birds are as large as the older birds. Chicken society/the pecking order is not always a pretty thing.