Question on a broody hen -

After 24 days, those eggs are not going to hatch. I don't think it makes much difference whether you remove the eggs or not. She will eventually leave the nest when she feels the chicks are ready. If they have food and water available, they won't go hungry.

ETA: You mentioned you have her in a small cage. Is there enough room for her to get up and move around with the chicks?

to move much more than 6" in every direction.

I think I'll steal the eggs tonight after dark, then see how she behaves in the morning.

I've left the eggs to see if they would hatch and the chickens eventually (after about 3 days) left the nest.

Then I've removed the remaining eggs and the chickens were just fine with that too.

I would give the chicken more room to move around. She wants to show those chicks how to scratch and to follow her (I've had baby chicks ride on their Mom's back to keep up with her.) So she needs room to move to do that. I've also had hens accidental kill their chicks because they had no room to move around and they stepped on them.

There is no sight as pretty as a hen with her chicks following behind.

I don't know if the mother crushed it or it just wasn't healthy enough to live.

So I made a nesting spot - straw, nearby feed and water - gabbed the three chicks and popped them there, then grabbed the hen and put her there. She settled down and covered the chicks. I'll have to watch what happens next. I do have a chick cage ready to go with a heat lamp if needed.

settled for now. She's keeping them and herself in the quieter side of the coop. (For some reason, our coop has two rooms.)

There's no sign of the missing chick.

I think I understand why hatcheries are a big business!