Introducing one big chicken to four babies

[Lilifish]

I have one older chicken who has been pretty lonely since her last flockmate died recently. She's become quite needy, trying to get into the house, and has also started to crow (she's very bad at it). So I got four baby chicks, who are now six weeks old. I reckon I've got two roos, which is a shame as I can't keep them where I live. The chicks spent the days last week in a playpen in the backyard while the big chicken free ranged nearby, and over the past couple of days I've let them all out together. Big chicken is very curious about the little ones and has given them some gentle exploratory pecks, but has shown no signs of aggression at all. Am I in the clear? Can I trust her around them?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sounds pretty good. To be safe I'd make sure to have at least 2 feeders available as food guarding can lead to conflict.