Taking away two chicks from momma hen

[WinningRabbit]

I had a broody hen and allowed her to sit on 8 eggs. Only two hatched and right now they are just over two weeks old. At the same time, I hatched 7 eggs in the incubator so these chicks are all the same age. Right now, I have 7 chicks in our brooder in the home and the two with mom hen are in their own brooder box that is in our chicken run. I allow them full access to the run so they can stretch their legs for about an hour a day. When I do this, I lock out the other chickens and rooster in a large separate area. My question is, I would love to put all of the baby chicks together in the brooder indoors but I don’t want to devastate the chicks or the momma hen. Can I do this and the dust will settle quickly or will I upset them? Thank you for any responses that have gone through something similar.

 

[Sussex19]

Why do you want them all together?
Personally I wouldn't do that to the mother hen without very good reason.

 

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

I’ve always pulled chicks from my momma hens. I let them do the hard part and I raise them myself so I can assure nothing goes wrong.

 

[MrsEarthern]

Why not introduce the indoor chicks to momma through a transparent barrier? That seems the better option.

 

[WinningRabbit]

Why do you want them all together?
Personally I wouldn't do that to the mother hen without very good reason.

It’s not that I necessarily want all of the chicks together, I’m apprehensive to allow the baby chicks in with the older hens and rooster. How long will the mother hen actually protect them? I have seen my older chickens become very nasty to any 4 month old pullets we add... and I don’t want my two baby chicks beat up on in another month or two. I can’t keep them in the brooder box for months. The size is 5’5’ but I want all of them out and about and not locked up.

 

[WinningRabbit]

I’ve always pulled chicks from my momma hens. I let them do the hard part and I raise them myself so I can assure nothing goes wrong.

So maybe I could take them and she wouldn’t be too upset. That’s my fear... she is a “rescue” hen and doesn’t even lay eggs. I just saw how bad she wanted to be a mom.

 

[MrsEarthern]

It’s not that I necessarily want all of the chicks together, I’m apprehensive to allow the baby chicks in with the older hens and rooster. How long will the mother hen actually protect them? I have seen my older chickens become very nasty to any 4 month old pullets we add... and I don’t want my two baby chicks beat up on in another month or two. I can’t keep them in the brooder box for months. The size is 5’5’ but I want all of them out and about and not locked up.

When you introduce birds, do you do the separate but visible slow introductions or just toss them in? From what I understand, chickens have a very strong stranger danger instinct.

 

[MrsEarthern]

So maybe I could take them and she wouldn’t be too upset. That’s my fear... she is a “rescue” hen and doesn’t even lay eggs. I just saw how bad she wanted to be a mom.

The two being raised by momma where the rest of the flock can see and smell them are the least likely of all your chicks to be bullied when you add them to the flock; it's the other 7 I would worry about.

 

[WinningRabbit]

When you introduce birds, do you do the separate but visible slow introductions or just toss them in? From what I understand, chickens have a very strong stranger danger instinct.

Would never toss them in. We have a second small coop for the younger ones and they have a couple of months of being next to the older chickens before we combine them.

 

[Sussex19]

It’s not that I necessarily want all of the chicks together, I’m apprehensive to allow the baby chicks in with the older hens and rooster. How long will the mother hen actually protect them? I have seen my older chickens become very nasty to any 4 month old pullets we add... and I don’t want my two baby chicks beat up on in another month or two. I can’t keep them in the brooder box for months. The size is 5’5’ but I want all of them out and about and not locked up.

I see, and I'm not a very good person to say how long the mother will protect them for.
In my flock, they all go together as so as the mother leaves the nesting box. The mother hens never seem to keep other hens away, but the other hens never hurt the chicks.
The rooster helps look after the chicks, calling them for snacks, and keeping and eye on them.
This is just how it works in my flock.
What I would do, is try letting them all out together, and see what happens.
Be ready to step in if the other hens start being mean to the chicks. If it doesn't work out, then maybe taking the two chicks to be with your other chicks is the way to go.
You say they are 2 weeks old, and some mothers ween the chicks at 3, so she might not mind to much.