Momma hen raising chicks

[Allie❤️Chickens]

We have been letting our broody sit on five eggs in the coop that we keep four other hens in. Four of the eggs just hatched and I’m getting kind of nervous about leaving the momma and her babies in the same coop as the bigger hens.
The mother is a bantam and the four other hens that share the coop with her are bigger. Will our bantam hen protect the chicks and be able to teach them everything they need to know while still being in the same space as other hens?
I hope that doesn’t sound like a dumb question because I’m still pretty new to raising chickens, not to mention my first time hatching them at my home.
My last question is should I leave the fifth egg in there in case of the chance that it will hatch? Momma hen has already moved out of the nesting box and the egg isn’t being warmed. Should I throw it out, or just assume that if there is a chick it’s dead and open the egg up to investigate?

Thanks for all help in advance!

 

[azygous]

Whether a broody hen will be able to protect her babies from the rest of the flock will depend on several factors. One is her rank in the flock, being easier for her to assert herself if she ranks higher than most of the others.

It also depends on her temperament. If she's very timid, she may have trouble asserting herself.

It depends on experience to a certain extent. If she's both timid and inexperienced, it may be difficult to protect the chicks.

If you aren't familiar with your hen in regard to these factors, you will need to stand watch to see how she handles things. You may need to provide protection for a week or so until the chicks learn flock dynamics and can recognize danger from certain individuals which they are capable of doing.

If the broody has abandoned the last egg, it's probably because it's failed in some way. I would just toss it, or open it up if you're curious. I have four unhatched eggs that are waiting for my curiosity to overcome my squeamishness to open and investigate why they didn't hatch. Often it's simply because they weren't fertilized due to the rooster paying insufficient attention to his job.