We now have a flock of chickens instead of two separate flocks.

We’ve been keeping the new hens separate from the existing flock, with just a short periods of supervised time together. After three weeks, we opened up all the inside gates and let them mingle. It was already established that the Black Star hens would be dominant, and the Faverolles would run away if she even looked at them, so there was no reason for her to do anything more aggressive than look. We watched in person for a while, then monitored the cameras for the rest of the day. I took the picture above in the afternoon. The breezeway is the coolest part of the run; it is in deep shade and there is almost always a breeze from the shade of the back woods. The best place for all the chickens with summer coming in. Interestingly, they all went to bed in their separate areas. I was hoping the new chickens would find a place in the large coop (there is plenty of room), but they seem to like the little hen house.