Is a Rooster a danger to chicks?

[barefootpaula]

I have 4 Bantam Hens and 2 Bantam Roosters. The roosters went their separate ways, one kept the 4 hens and the other adopted my large Rhode Island Red hens (we now call him Huge Hefner). One Bantam Hen has hatching eggs (9 so far out of 13). She's in a separate large cage just moved to a larger separated area. "Huge", who never comes in the barn any other time except at night to coop, was in the barn standing on "cage area". Why is he suddenly interested in this hen and will he hurt them if he gains access to them?

 

[GingerJane]

He shouldn't as long as the mother hen hatched them herself, they can not be harmed. The mother will protect them and the rooster respects that. the rooster will not hurt anything unless it is a threat to his heard. The hen raising chicks herself is a instinct to the rooster that those new comers are apart of his flock.

 

[barefootpaula]

I have the hen and her 9 chicks in an 4x8 completely fenced area in the barn. I'm afraid to let her out with the chicks thinking they could come to some harm by anything. Should I continue to keep her penned with them or let her out with them allow them to free range with the other two hens and rooster?

 

[barefootpaula]

Should I allow them out of the pen and let them all free range together? Sorry if this is a duplicate reply. I'm not sure how this site works best.