Bumpercarr and Fisherlady have really good tips about communal chick brooding. It does indeed depend upon the flock as some are laid back enough, and the broody hen has to be assertive enough, so she is able to integrate the chicks into the flock...and that is the ideal way to do it.
I have banty broodies who do not get respect of the big flock (and very eager Cooper's hawks), so chicks tend to get tromped on while momma is running from the big hen or chicks and banty eaten by the hawks. So, I have a separate broody hutch and run that has lots of hawk netting and beak to beak viewing so that by the time the chicks are old enough to keep up in the flock, they are no longer viewed as a complete stranger (or quick meal)...just regular pecking order dynamics and some initial integration issues.
Always do a perimeter check for the stupid chick trick of escape and drowning, and predator assessment. Remove any nasty hens who don't deserve to be in the flock. Then you should have good results.
As to self-brooding vs. hen brooding....I've actually had a side by side comparison the year I was transitioning to broody hens...because...uhemmm...even though I wanted to use broody hens, I didn't have much confidence a hen *could* really do a good job of it, and I wanted new laying hens that season.
Broody Hen Hatch and Brooding: Well, momma, who had set up her own nest in the main coop, had them hatched in the coop on a cold February (and I mean it was a COLD snap of low 20's and teens). I did subdivide and keep them in the coop and out of exposed weather for a few weeks, but no heat as I don't do heat in coops anymore (burned one down that way). By day 3, momma had the little chicks running around scratching. By week 2 they were flying around and running around without a care. By week 4 they were fully feathered and only snuggled with mom at night. They were holding their own in the flock by week 8, with mom's protection (although it really over stressed her as she was an assertive banty but picked on by the LF... I had a small enough flock at the time so that it worked). Those broody hatched chicks matured very quickly and several were laying by week 14, all by 18 (really...I had to keep checking my calendar)...that was because they were maturing during the lengthening days in natural light and were barnyard mixes of Leghorn/RSL/Barred Rock.
Lady of McCamley Brooding: How was my brooding project going? Well after constant heat lamp...at week 8, I was beginning to raise the heat lamp enough so that they could begin to feel ambient temperature during the DAYtime. By week 12, they were getting used to the ambient temperature by NIGHTtime and were off heat lamps altogether, but in my enclosed garage. I had them out in an outdoor pen by week 14 to acclimate first to something called GRASS and being in the open (which always freaks them out at first) and then to the flock. Had to let them see beaks for several weeks, then integrate slowly into the flock with free range. They too were all RSL and BSL (feed store hybrids while mine were backyard hybrids of the same breeds but not sexlinked). The feed stores pullets were laying by week 20 to 24.
How were they as hens? The broody hatched chicks were slow to warm to me as they had imprinted with their momma (and rightly so)...however I always greet and treat, so in time they became quite calm around me and eager for my food attention. As I greet and treat at roost time, I could handle them at night time if I needed to.
The feedstore chicks were great about being handled as chicks, and excellent with the greet and treat. After integrating into the flock, over time they became more chicken and much less pet tame. Unless you treat your flock like pets, this simply happens. (I am personally fine with it as I don't think of my chickens as pets per se....just my feathered beaked friends.)
In the end, I couldn't tell the difference in handling between the broody hatched chicks and the feed store chicks. They all ran to me when I showed up hoping for the treat bucket, but nobody wanted to be picked up and petted. They all hovered pleasantly at my feet, and followed me around the yard, but if I needed to do something with them, I did so at roost time.
Don't know if any of that is useful to you...but it was a fun observation experiment for me and quite enlightening. I am sold on hen brooding and integrating. I have thought to go to LF broody hens so that they can integrate into the flock better, but I like how frequently the banties brood...so until I can get some of @fisherlady Fisherlady's luck and get some frequent LF broodies, I will stick with my banties and segregated brooding hutch/run with a bit more integration work, but not like the heat lamp chicks....and of course I should add, the hawk situation also encourages me to keep a segregated coop/run for the 'little chicken nuggets."
Have fun with your momma and chick...and totally view this as a message of enable-ment. You DO need to do BOTH!
Lady of McCamley
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