How to break a broody hen that just hatched babies

[anthonyjames]

I had a hen that went broody about 6 weeks ago. We gave her four eggs to sit on and 3 of the 4 hatched out a week ago. Well now I have had 150 chicks arrive this week and I want to take hers and put them with the others. I have separated her from all other hens in a brooder for my chicks. But I have more on the way and can't keep her there. If I pull her from her chicks at night and put her back in the coop will she go back to normal or will she still want to sit on eggs?

And if she still wants to sit on eggs how to break her from this?

 

[Southernbelle]

The fact that she's had them with her a week would make me think she won't start brooding on eggs again right away. But, she's going to be horribly distressed at losing her chicks. I would probably try putting her and the chicks back with the flock and see how they do before I'd take her chicks away.