2 possessive Moms won't let chicks near us

[mommom4]

2 possessive moms are in a dog pen with 6 chicks, now almost 2 weeks. We'd like the chicks to be "people" friendly but the moms intervene. Any ideas?? When can they be released from the dog pen? We have 4 hens and a rooster all together before the 6 chicks were hatched "naturally". Thanks for ideas!

 

[sheaviance1]

Boy, I have to dig deep on this one! I don't have a Roo (yet) so I haven't experienced this as an adult. When I was little, my grandma had a large flock that she free ranged. Every year, there were babies galore on her place. The hens would protect them for the first month or so. After that, she basically left them alone, sometimes even chasing them away from her. That's when grandma would start giving them treats (mainly beet tops out of the garden). Hers were not pets though, and did not interact with humans other than feeding time.

Oh, and

 

[mommom4]

Thanks! I didn't know they like beet tops and I'm growing them. Anything else from the garden they would like?
I'm hoping once they're out of the pen, they'll allow mixing with humans (the grandkids love them).