Adding to existing flock

[BDG]

I put young ones in housing inside the hen house that they cannot get out of / others cannot get in once they are fully feathered. Leave them in for about a week before I let them mingle. As long as the older ones have plenty of food, and the young ones have a nook or cranny they can hide in, they do OK.

The older ones will try and attack them if they are bored and the young ones are in the vicinity, but the young ones do learn to get out of the way pretty sharp.

The only really issue you might have is if you want to feed the young grower pellets and the older ones layers - the older ones will eat other food before they eat their own - that is the only reason I would keep them apart, but I let mine be together, never had problems with them not staying on growers until they are fully grown.

I have one Welsummer hen and she is miserable, she attacks anything that is smaller than her and is not fond of me despite me hatching her in an incubator and her living in the house for the first several weeks of her life.