Broody or poorly?

[NappyShedSal]

We are chicken-sitting some friend's chickens for thsi week, so we have 3 female chickens, no cockerel. One of them has just sat on the egg laying part of the eglu since Saturday morning. She did have 3 eggs under her on Sunday - at least one was definitely not hers - but we took these away on Sunday night. She laid an egg yetsreday afternoon which we took away fairly soon afterwards, but she hasn't moved once. But this also means that she hasn't eaten or drunk anything either. So is she broody? Or is she poorly? Does it matter that she's not eating or drinking?

Help!!!

I'm not an expert but I would say she is broody - I would pick her up and turf her out of the nest box so she can eat and drink and also poo. She's also stopping the others from using the nest box so needs taking out. As they are not your birds do you feel ok about picking them up? It feels like it will be really hard but once you have a firm grip around their 'shoulders' they kind of go into quiet mode.

Why do they do this when you are looking after somone elses pets? agree with hbob above. Pick her up move her out and keep moving her. even when they are sitting on eggs they do come out and eat/drink but you just don't see them do it. OUr chickens are outside with cockerels and if we get one with chicks then we always get 2 or 3 in the following weeks so we are constantly "ark juggling" trying to find who to put where. Same happens when we separate a sick chicken! You can only do your best and your friends will appreciate that you cared enough to notice what was going on. when are they back?