Question about introducing!

[akahn01]

Ok lets say that i wanted 5 chickens. All five chickens grew up and are 6 weeks old but then 4 of the chickens die. I get 4 more chickens. When these chickens are old enough to move from the inside brooder to the outside coop what do i have to do to stop the older chicken from hurting the younger ones? Do the older ones always atack the younger ones? A close friend bought one chicken to add to the group and it got killed by the oldest chicken.

 

[pegbo]

Andrew, do you have room to put up a dividing fence? If you do, put new chicks on one side and older chicks on the other. This helps acclimate them to each other and they get used to seeing each other without causing injuries. I did this for about two weeks and then one night after it started to get dark I put them in the coop all together. There was a little pecking going on, just to establish pecking order and now they all get together fine!

 

[SpottedCrow]

Here's my experience:
I had two chicks, Tom and Jerry. Tom was killed by a raccoon and Jerry was devastated. He'd lay under the dining room table and whimper.
So I got him a couple of buddies. Slifer and Obelisk. I didn't quarantine, didn't do any of the things that you should do...but I was lucky. He loved his friends, especially Obelisk who is the same breed. They'd go flying over the fence together to eat the neighbour's grass seed, while Slifer just looked at them through the fence.
I had to rehome Jerry when he started to crow. I was the most broken up by it, but the two girls did look around for him for a while.
Last summer, Slifer died. Obelisk looked for her friend even though they weren't close for a week. She'd sit in my lap and bikbikbik and want to be patted. She was happy to be a lone queen hen.
In December Penny came home. Obelisk was NOT thrilled with a buddy, needless to say. She chased and pecked her unmercifully. Finally, we got things settled down and then Penny went broody. Back to square one...
If Obelisk gets too rough, Penny goes into her cat carrier. They have separate dishes too which helps a little.
Alot depends on the temperment of the bird.
Even if you can snag a cat carrier off of Freecycle, it would allow the newbies to see and smell the established group.

 

[HenHappy]

I'd like to share my story...I was left with one beautiful hen after my other died because of being eggbound, so I bought two more chicks. My DH built me a seperate smaller pen right next to the coop wich we put a hole in with wire to keep Rosie divided but still being able to see each other...and they grew and grew and grew...peeping at the big girl through the wire. When I put them all together, finally, everyone already knew each other so no prob. Then one day a friend asked me to take her last chicken as she was moving and the rest of her flock had been killed by racoons. I couldn't say no. I put Lucky in the tractor next to the run so they could all get used to one another. It was late fall and it was starting to get cold at nite so I constantly worried about lucky out there by herself. Rosie and Lucky did not look like they were going to get along. They were banging at each other through the wire. The new bird Lucky was such a sweetheart, I kept thinking, OMG they are going to beat the dickens out of her! Finally, my heart in my throat, I let them all out together. EEEEEEEK! Lucky beat EVERYONE else up, a bit of blood on Wilma's head, and she is now the TOP chicken. It just goes to show...you never know!