Will adult hens accept adolescent hens into flock?

[fiddleblue]

I'm a newbie planning a backyard chicken flock. I am thinking of starting with 3 hens. If any of them should die or I want to add hens and have a larger flock, I was wondering if I can obtain baby chicks, raise them in an incubator, and then add them to the adult flock when they are old enough. Would the adults pick on the new, unrelated young ones, or accept them into the flock? I am considering Orpingtons or Isa Browns since from what little I've read on breeds these seem to be easy-tempered friendly birds.

 

[Big dreams]

People add to their flocks all the time, there will be some pecking order things going on but there are ways you can minimize it too. Just keep reading about it here and you will run across many ideas on adding to a flock. Welcome, and Good Luck.