Reposting this in different forum as advised...

[Maria's Chickens]

Hi! I am new here and this is my second post. Yesterday we purchased 6 RIR pullets, only a couple weeks old, if that. This is our first venture with raising biddies. We have had chickens before, many years ago but raccoons got them and I decided that having chickens was not for me after that happened, having been very attached to the ones we had at that time and even had names for each of them. Yesterday when we purchased the 6 RIR pullets, there were no RIR male-biddies available, so one will have to be purchased elsewhere that is not a part of this little flock we purchased yesterday. My question is, do they usually do well integrating when they are only a couple weeks old or so with a new flock? I had thought about waiting until the 6 girls are six to eight months old, or so, and then purchasing an adult RIR rooster to go with them that has not been raised with them, but someone told me that it would be better to purchase a male biddie and to have them all living together beginning now as biddies. What do you think?

 

[AlleysChicks]

I like waiting until they are grown. Teenage hormones from the male will have him harassing your girls before they are ready

 

[LaurEliz]

I have integrated adults and younger chickens together with little to no issues before, so I think either way would work, based off of my experience with it.

 

[Folly's place]

Finding the right male, healthy and polite, and with good structure and parents, might just happen when it happens, so basically any time may be the right time.
Or, raise some straight run chicks in spring, and keep a cockerel or two then. Your birds will then be adult hens, and able to teach him some manners.
Mary