yes, they stop.

M

They won't resume laying until a few weeks after the chicks hatch -- at least that's my experience. I leave the hen with the chicks until she's ready to get away from the kids. Usually I'll see an egg appear about the time she's ready to kick them out of the house...

Our experience (the first) with a broody hen was just plain fascinating! She started ignoring the little ones once she started laying again when they were about 9 weeks old. They are now 13 weeks and we just took down the electric fence and will put them in the big girls/boys house tonight. All the others free range, but we had these fenced in until they were big enough to not be lunch for the cats.

Today they are free and again the mom is right with the 'teenagers' showing them where the good vegetation is. It is almost as though she is taking them to secondary school now. We really thought she was tired of being a mom, but I guess there is still some educating to do!

WE had a similar experience. Our first broody lost interest in the chicks right about the time she started laying (about 1 month) and got a bit mean so we put her back with the flock. Now the one of her first hatch hangs around with mom--they forage together, roost together. This was the chick she was often pecking at. She had a second hatch in June and when they are all out she doesn't pay any special attention to them.