Broody hen

[Cowgirl89]

I am a fairly new chicken owner. One of my black australorp hens went broody about 4-5 days. She is sitting on about 5 eggs. We do have a rooster so not sure if the eggs are fertile or not...So my question is if she does end up hatching her chicks out, should I leave them in with my 13 other chickens or put them into a separate pen. I don't want them getting hurt. I basically need guidance as to how to go about this. Thank you in advance!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can do it either way.
The hen will protect the chicks from the rest of the flock so no worries there.
The chicks need starter feed so separating the broody makes that simple as she can benefit from the extra protein now.
If you keep them with the flock, you'll need to switch everyone to a starter feed and provide oyster shell in a separate container for those hens laying.

If a rooster is present, they're likely fertile. Mark the eggs so you can remove any volunteers.