Chicken Rules -- and The Merge

After years of being around chickens, I know:

- They don't like change.
- They don't like newcomers, as this disrupts their pecking order.
- Roosters create havoc.

So, when it came time to merge the two flocks -- I only have six pullets, so why keep them in a separate hen house for winter -- I kept these truths in mind.

At dark, I moved the pullets to the old hen house and placed them on the roost. In the morning, they'd awake and wonder about their surroundings and the other hens.

The next day, I didn't let the hens outside. After a few nights in one place, the young ones will establish the old hen house as their new home.

Today, I let the chickens outside and hope they return to the old hen house roost.

Then, if all goes well, I'll move the two young roosters in with the flock. I don't worry about them finding their roost, for they are roosters, and roosters follow the hens.