Post-hatch, What To Do with broody hen & chicks?

[Lemonpuss]

We had a hen go broody right before we had to kill our sole rooster Big Shot due to unnecessary roughness. The last clutch of def fertile eggs hatched on June 26; four out of seven survived.

We have kept our broody hen with the chicks separated from the general population to keep the chicks safe and to minimize the agression towards the broody hen we witnessed from the other hens back when she started all this.

We've been keeping the hen and clutch separate from the gen population since broody happened. The hen just layed her first egg in weeks in the separate pen we have for them today.

Is she ready to go back in gen pop?
Can the chicks be alone? (assuming all temp issues are ok)
When / how old can chicks be added to the her of 16 other hens? Ours are middling size at 5 weeks old. They won't be able reach the hen's roost in the coop.
should we leave the broody hen with the chicks until they can handle being in the big coop with the hens?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Judy]

I'd put the mama back in with her flock, and raise the chicks in a separate area until they are about 4 months or the same size as the rest.

 

[Lemonpuss]

We'll give it a try. Thanks!

 

[kcfuerst]

My momma hen just hatched 4 Trader Joe chicks, but not before I bought four Golden Sex Links to put under her fearing the eggs would not hatch on day 24. I moved her into a nest on the floor of the coop with all the other girls and they are fine. Momma sets the rules and both babies and big girls abide by them. Today, I saw one of the big girls look sideways at the chicks and momma was all over her. Last thing I saw was a mouth full of feathers and the intruder was history. All my other hens make a wide respectful birth around mom and her chicks and they tiptoe around to do their business. Typically a momma hen will protect her brood with great enthusiasm. No need to separate.