Introducing Younger Hens - HELP!

[portlando]

I've been trying to introduce two younger hens (about 2.5 months old) to my existing flock. The existing flock consists of two 2.5 year old hens. For about three weeks they've been sharing a run separated in two. They can see each other all day. At night I stick the younger ones in the coup and they sleep in one of the nest boxes, which is caged in with hardware cloth. Of the older ones, only one is aggressive, the other doesn't care much. I've also tried supervised free-ranging but they seem to just stay away from each other. HELP PLEASE. What can I do?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They will stay away from each other until the young ones are older. Mine from last spring are finally mingling with the older birds, but they don't hang out together and probably never will.

 

[portlando]

They will stay away from each other until the young ones are older. Mine from last spring are finally mingling with the older birds, but they don't hang out together and probably never will.

Thanks, this helps. When did they stop pecking at each other? And when did they start sharing the coop nicely?

 

[aart]

Answered here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/introducing-new-birds.1179542/page-2#post-18598341