Most owners of backyard chickens are familiar with the concept of a 'pecking order' in chicken society. Many people however, do not really understand the effects of adding new chickens to an existing flock, whom have previously determined their position within the chicken hierarchy.

It might not be immediately obvious, but each chicken understands who they are allowed to pick on (those lower than them in the hierarchy) and which other birds they must be submissive to. Adding new chickens immediately means that the chickens need to establish a new order in the hierarchy. During this reestablishment phase, fighting may occur amongst the chickens in order to work out who is submissive and who is dominant, and finally, who will be the 'top chook'.

Below are 5 tips to make this transition process as smooth as possible for you, as well as for your older chickens and the new younger chickens.

1. Two coops along side each other

A really good way to allow the chickens to familarise themselves with their new 'house mates' without any physical contact is to use two chicken coops side by side on a temporary basis. If you happen to have a second coop or are able to borrow a temporary coop for a week or two, you can put the new birds in this second coop, which can then stand right next to your normal coop. This gives both groups of chickens the chance to get familiar with each other, without any chance of fighting. After a week or so, you can then integrate the new chickens into the main coop. While it's likely that there'll be some fighting, it will be less intense due to the first, 'familiarization' stage that you've undertaken.

2. Add new chickens to the coop in the evening

You will also find that adding new chickens to a flock in the evening can help to minimise the fighting that occurs. Simply grab a torch (flash-light) and position the younger birds amongst the older chickens on the perches. At night-time the chickens are ready for sleep and are less likely to start a fight to establish the pecking order. In the morning, it's been found that the older chickens seem to be less aware of the new additions.

3. Distract the chickens with special treats

If night-time isn't a practical time for you to add your new chickens to the chicken coop, you can at least take measures to distract the older chickens while you add the new birds. Feed the chickens some fruit or vegetable scraps, fresh weeds or grain to keep them occupied and less aware of what is happening.

4. Add chickens that appear similar to the older hens

It's also good to keep in mind that there will be less fighting if you add new chickens that are of a similar age or at least a similar size to your older chickens. If your new chickens are considerably younger and therefore smaller, chances are they will be picked on by older chickens as they are less able to defend themselves. The closer the chickens are in size/ age the less fighting that will take place.

5. Don't add a second rooster

Remember that one rooster will rule the roost. If you're thinking of adding a second rooster to your flock, you might like to think again. Roosters are quite possessive of the chickens in their coop and will fight with a new rooster (even to death) to eliminate the threat of this new rooster in their chicken coop.

Practically it really isn't necessary to have several roosters, as one can adequately 'service' quite a number of chickens for fertilization purposes (and of course roosters aren't needed at all if you're just after fresh eggs!). I'm sure many owners of backyard chickens would also agree, that one very early morning wake up call is quite adequate - two roosters belting out a tune at 6am would be too much for you and your neighbours to take, no matter how much you love your backyard chickens!