5 week old chicks and hen, how to manage

[jenyan318]

I have five chicks who are just over 5 weeks old. At the moment, I only have them and their mother. At 4 weeks old, she started pushing them away, as to be expected. Sadly, she was pretty aggressive about it, injuring one and killing another. I now have them separated from her completely. They are growing fast and healthily.
I'mtryibg to figure out what to do from here. If I have to keep them separated forever, I will rehome the hen, as I'm not really equipped to keep them that way. Is it possible they'll be safe around her once they're a bit bigger?? Help!

 

[azygous]

Use a panic room and put them all together. If you're not familiar with the panic room system of integration, it's simply a safe enclosure in the run that the chicks can retreat inside when harassed, The larger hen can't fit through the 5 x 7 inch openings (more than one entrance is advisable.)

Food and water placed inside the safe enclosure assures the chicks will have all they need without needing to risk safety to eat. For examples of the setup in a run, take a look at my article on outdoor brooding linked below.

 

[jenyan318]

Thank you. I believe I will be doing exactly this.

 

[jenyan318]

Nevermind. She's actually actively chasing them down, trying to hurt them. I think gotta go.