Planning to get new chicks and add them to a existing flock

[Rose the Legbar]

So I hopefully plan to get 1 Ameraucana and maybe 1 or 2 Frizzed Polish this Spring. So how would I be able to add them to a existing flock? Will my older hens pick on their beards and head fluffs? I am going to first put the new chicks inside of the main coop using a large dog crate. Then after a few days should I put up my two more mean hens into their coop and open the dog crate so the littles first meet and get to interact with my sweetest hen? Than maybe slowly add the more mean birds after a few hours of them being out with my sweet bird? My older hens know head fluffs but not that huge of a head fluff so I am scared they will pick at and hurt the new little ones. I’ve also seen people put the Polish’s head tuft in a pony tail so they can see better, so should I do that as well so they could maybe stand a chance?

The chickens I have right now are 2 Wyandottes (one is super sassy and mean and the other one is extremely sweet) and a Opal Legbar (also mean but less mean than the Wyandotte). And I’ve seen the two Wyandottes gang up on on my Legbar (the mean one nips at the legbar and the sweet one runs the legbar back to the mean bird with soft pecks) after she had a impacted crop for 2 weeks and I reintroduced her.

I have no idea what I am doing as I am a newbie to raising chickens. I’ve been reading a lot of things here saying about how they introduced their chickens but not with Polish. I want to plan this group of chicks more than my first group of chicks. The first group was a “Learn as I go” batch of chicks and I really don’t want to do that again.
Yeah, any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[azygous]

Read this. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

 

[Chickeeaholic]

My first experience introducing new chicks was very rough too. I feel so bad I didn’t do a better job. I was going through some disasters in my life and the whole thing was miserable for everyone. Especially the poor chicks.

They are okay now, and one is even head of the pecking order. This time I had a small 4’x4’ coop that is still behind my new one. I kept them in there and used wire to divide a place for them in the run. Everyone could see each other but not touch. After a week I let them in the yard together. After another week I started letting the chicks in the run with the big girls but they could go back to their own section of run and get away if they needed. The hole was too small for the big girls to follow them.

They are all together now in the big coop and it went as well. The chicks were 8 weeks old when I introduced them. I don’t really have any mean hens though. I also keep plenty of places they can hide.

I’m not sure if any of this will help, but that’s how I did it and it worked well.

 

[Mrs. K]

Show some pictures of your set up, as space and how it is arranged is very important in adding chicks. I get mine into the flock at about 3-4 weeks, but do add in the summer.

Personally, I would not add a polish, unless I had the capabilities of keeping that breed separate. Often times, there will be an established flock that will not accept a polish bird, others have no problems. But there is a real chance it won't work. Sometimes you can get a bird that just will not work in that particular flock. Mixing in bantams increases that chance.

When you say you are only adding 2 chicks, I am wondering how much space you have. Integration needs more space.

Mrs K

 

[3KillerBs]

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/