Is my hen broody or sick?

[fiddlehawk]

We have a Buff Orpington which has been very subdued the last 3-4 days. She stays in the nest box all day and night but she is not laying. We have taken her out and put her on the ground to see if she is moving ok (whcih she seems to) and eventually she will get up and walk around for a while. During this time, she'll poop and it is huge and green and smells truly awful. Is this normal? She also seems very skittish and fluffs her feathers up a lot. Our other 3 buffs seem fine. We are newbies to chickens so we are worried if we are doing something wrong. The girls are all almost a year old. Thanks for any help or advice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

She sure sounds broody to me.

 

[babsbag]

Does she eat and drink when you take her off the nest? And when you put your hand under her when she is on the nest does she squawk at you? The poop thing sounds like a broody for sure, they don't want to poop in their nest. Such good girls.

Has she laid eggs in the past? If she is broody and you don't have a rooster and you want more chickens you can find her some fertile eggs or go to a feed store and bring her home some day old chicks. They usually take them fine, and your breed seems to be a good broody, from what I have read.

Mine went broody and only had one egg under her so I gave her a few more. Sunday is day 21