Mother hen and new young rooster

[S-t-o-n-e]

Currently we have a momma hen raising 4 adopted chicks, while the hen was sitting on the nest we added a new rooster to the flock, the rooster has been mostly good towards our hens only having a problem with one of our hens at the start ( which we chock up to ptsd from our last horrible rooster ) but since the mom has come out with the babies the rooster has been very interested in her, although I haven’t seen them mate, I can see the sign on the mom, the mom doesn’t seem to be scared of the rooster. And the rooster just ignores the babies.
Is it normal for mother hens to mate with the rooster or is it likely that this rooster is being forceful and I should separate him from the mom.

 

[Mrs. K]

Leave it alone. They are working it out. Separating birds often causes more problems than is solves. As long as she is not afraid, as long as the chicks are thriving, leave it alone. Separating them, though good intentions, will cause her to have to be reintroduced sometime down the road, and that will be harder on the chicks.

This is working, give it a couple of days, and it will be fine. All he is really doing is claiming her and her chicks for his flock. You kind of want that.

Mrs K