Introducing

[PhilSanchez]

Introducing 3 40 day old black austrlorp hens to the existing 3 hen flock hens were curious for about 5 minutes the went about their business. squirrel more interested than hens.

 

[PhilSanchez]

This is the introduce but don’t touch method will keep separated for two full weeks or longer if necessary and

 

[feathermaid]

Looks good!
You might not have to keep them fully separated for longer than a week.

I keep mine in the house for 1-2 weeks.
Move to the coop with MHP and a wire divider for 1-2 weeks.
Then "graduate" to a divider which allows chicks to pass through but big ones can't. Some people just make a small doorway, I found that 3½" inches works well. This also offers a safety zone for chicks if they feel scared.

Right now my chicks are 4 weeks old and spend most of the day mingling with the adult birds in the flock then return once in a while to eat or drink. I feed Flock Raiser crumbles to everyone now and also have multiple feed and water stations to encourage sharing and reduce squabbling. But for the most part, the older girls just ignore them.


Have you tried free ranging all your birds together yet? That would let you see how your older birds react and give plenty of space for little ones to run away if necessary. You might be able to start letting your chicks into the main pen sooner than you think. If you can build a smaller opening for them, just make sure they're familiar with where to find it in a hurry. Add some extra perches in the run and maybe lean a piece of plywood for them to hide behind.

 

[PhilSanchez]

Thanks fo advice and reply much appreciated. Can no longer let flock free range home surrounded by woods too many things like to eat chicken

Looks good!
You might not have to keep them fully separated for longer than a week.

I keep mine in the house for 1-2 weeks.
Move to the coop with MHP and a wire divider for 1-2 weeks.
Then "graduate" to a divider which allows chicks to pass through but big ones can't. Some people just make a small doorway, I found that 3½" inches works well. This also offers a safety zone for chicks if they feel scared.

Right now my chicks are 4 weeks old and spend most of the day mingling with