[susiecool]

When can you let a mother and her chicks out of a fully enclosed run and in with other hens?  My hen is a good mother but getting stressed from being enclosed in a small run.

Thanks

[joyfull]

I have one with 5 week old chicks out and about and another with chicks that were hatched in the hedgerow just a couple of days ago out and about - I never have a problem letting mine out 

[evie2]

Hello Susie, welcome to our ever growing family

We kept Star and her chicks in their own run for the first week then let them out into a bigger run that was uncovered for another few days.  The other 4 big hens 'visited', there were no problems so mum and chicks joined the rest of the hens in the garden.  She takes the chicks back to the broody coop every night and is sometimes joined by one of the 'aunties'  

[Squibbs]

We've never separated our natural hatched chicks from the main flock - the mother hen does a very good job of keeping the others at bay and then by the time she decides she is bored with them they are part of the flock and accepted - if at the bottom of the pecking order.

Incubator raised chicks are different - I move them to where they can be seen at 4-6 weeks depending on the weather and then they get to run with the big flock at about 10-12 weeks. At this time they appear to be tolerated as long a they mind their Ps and Qs and integrate fully over time.

For the first couple of weeks I do feed the 'teenagers' in the closed run otherwise they would get bullied off.