I 100% agree. I think taking the chicks away from Mom is cruel if she is not harming them. I also agree that the sooner the 'flock' sees and knws them, the better!
FYI: How I do 'it' with a broody mom:
I have a broody 'tractor', that once I am sure they are determined, I move them to and put eggs under them. This is so that their 'nests' don't get stolen when they get off. I've lost multiple clutches because the 'mom' gets off the nest, and a dominant hen goes in to lay, and they end up sitting on the eggs 'next door'. [For me, many of my broodies are DC, and they are NEVER top of the flock, rank wise]
My broodie tractor is in the main run, so while they can't 'mingle' per say, they are never really removed from the flock. (there is a dust bath bin, food, water in the tractor, and most of the tractor (but roof, nest box, and sides below nest box) are wire mesh...so plenty of air & interaction.
Once hatches, the other hens always come up to the sides of the tractor, curious & investigating.
After a few days (depending on when they hatch...as it needs to be a weekend so I can watch to make sure everything is okay), I open the door to the tractor to let bigs & littles intermingle. If it goes okay, I do same again next day& watch....if still okay, they are free to roam each day with mom...but get locked in broody hut at night (all my coops have elevated nest boxes, and some would be very difficult for a chick to get into the coop, never mind nest box, and my coops tend to be on the small side...for roosting & laying only)
Mom always calls them back to broody hut anyways.....for a couple of weeks. They seem to know when the chicks can handle 'more', and then they start bringing them into a coop with roosts and nest boxes....Depending on Mom and coop layout (also, I think how full or not the coop is), moms sometimes starts bringing them into nest box, other times right up onto roost from start.
Though I've only hatches chicks 7-8 times (I call my co-broodies 1x, though 2 hens that hatch side by side, because as moms, each time they have stuck together and kinda acted as one unit), I've only had an issue once....with 1 hen that was determined to rid the flock of the evil youngsters. [ I ended up putting the bad hen in the injury box overnight...still evil...put her back in the next night and day...let her out @ bed time - much improved after that, though I did put her in for an hour or two here and there for a few weeks after...by the time the chicks were 3-4 weeks old and accepted fully by everyone else, including semi-adopted by some additional hens, she got harassed if she bothered them - other than a 'keep in line' peck]
I must say, though, that the first time I had a broodie, I listened to the advise you mentioned above @RebeccaBoyd , and had to go through the full on integration with chicks that were much smaller than the adults (8-10 weeks old) and, since were 'new' & were considered outsiders! Much harder integration than letting them integrate 'naturally'.
Because I do have a large flock that has the same general 'home base' I DO have to be careful and make sure 1 Roo 'accepts them' first, though.
Tax pics in a bit.....
Edit to add: When I get chicks from a hatchery, though, they get brooded inside until 7-8 weeks, then introduced. However, once I get electricity out to the coop area, I'm going to build a safe brooder out there so that everyone can get aquainted sooner if I 'buy some in again.' I'm not holding my breathe on that for happening anytime soon, though...hubby is in charge of that...and with him things move sssssllllllooooooowwwwww. But, I have my plate already full..so
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