While there are no guarantees with live animals, roosters are generally much better with chicks than the hens are. I've had a 7-month cockerel "babysitting" 4-week chicks in their integration pen and I've seen the 5 and 6 week-old chicks running right underneath a rooster to get clear of a hen...
Someone advised me to feed them on the fenceline for my first integration last spring and it's worked wonderfully well for every batch.
Additionally, the adults teach the babies how to use the horizontal nipple waterers.
Do you brood your chicks indoors or outside and if the latter, how do you go about it?
I brood outdoors. My DH has a strong belief that chickens don't belong in the house, a position that I largely agree with, and, anyway, we have cats. Not to mention the noise and dust.
This is my Outdoor...