Please tell me how to introduce 2 new hens to a flock of 3 hens!

[fushalilly]

I want to expand my 3 hen flock (they are 1 year old hens) and add 2 Ninemonth old hens. How do I go about this???
how do I figure out if these hens are healthy and once i know they are, how do i introduce them?
Please be as detailed as you can, I want no tradgeties!

 

[barred-rocks-rock]

We introduced Two One-Year Old Hens and two Nine Months old hens. There was some fighting for about 5-10 minutes, but after that they were fine. WHen you introduce two groups that are the same size, say 5 hens and 5 hens (give or take) they will be pretty balanced out. At nine months, they are fully grown. They will be able to fend for themselves.

 

[Mahlzeit]

Introducing them at night always seems to work best for me. After it is dark you put the 2 hens on the roosts so that they are there when they all wake up in the morning. They still need to establish a pecking order but it shouldn't take too long for that. Also make sure there is enough space that the new hens can escape from the others at first.