[honda600]

hey guys, we have a chick of about 6 weeks old and a mum hen, theyve been isolated from the flock since she started brooding but now its obvious she wants to get back out there. We've two choices really, either we put them back in with the main flock, 1 cockerel and 3 large hens or we let them run with the bantams, 3 pekin bantam hens who have the run of the garden. can anyone offer advice?
thanks
fiona

[joyfull]

if the chick is with the broody it should be fine - mum will protect it should it need doing so. I have discovered this morning one of my hens has hatched about 10 chicks (mine all free range and she must have hatched these down the side of the beck) and these can only be a day or so old running round - they ran and hid from me so I can only guess at how many by the quick glimpse I got.

[honda600]

thanks for that, do you think we'd be ok to put her back in with the cockerel or shd we let them in the garden first?
x

[joyfull]

I have never had a problem with cockerels and chicks - and I have several wandering around amongst my hens  do you have plenty of space for the broody and chick to hide away should they need to?  .

[evie2]

Trust Joyfull, we did and have our 2 week old poots and dutch bantam chicks with mum and the rest of the flock, having seen one of her Sablepoot cockerels, she knows what she's talking about