raise chicks with a broody mother hen for a healthy, happy, regenerative flock of foraging chickens

[@marigoldfarmsllc9257]

I just love this! I’ve watched it several times over the years just because it’s SO peaceful and sweet. I’m finally working on my own broody momma house just like this 🎉

[@appleturnover]

oh, that is so nice. hurrah for a new broody momma house!

[@georgep9052]

Beautiful video, beautiful set up, beautiful animals, beautiful everything! I wish one day I’d have the same set up for my self. Congratulations!!!!

[@appleturnover]

we wish it for you as soon as may be. thanks for your kind words!

[@yLeprechaun]

I don't know what is about chickens. Ewes can lamb, cows can calve, goats can kid, and although that's great, for some reason I am always completely in awe when our hens hatch new chicks. By the way, you have a beautiful home!

[@appleturnover]

me too, just enchanting. thank you so much. i adore it.

[@jmjlori]

I just did this! I could not get my two chickens off the nests (should I say "keep them off"). We went and got a half dozen fertilized eggs, and it has been a blast watching them! 5 of the chicks made it, and they're now 6 weeks old. we're making more room in the coop. :-)

[@appleturnover]

amazing! well done!

[@JD-dh7bk]

❤ lovely video. I'm letting a broody hatch chicks for the first time. I've been kinda nervous about it. Due to the heat, I didn't want her in the coop all day and night it's just too hot. So I brought her in the house. She hadn't been sitting on an empty nest so it was easy to introduce her to the new nest. She's in our brooder. When she is ready for some time out she goes to the end of the brooder and hops up and down. Eggs are due to hatch this weekend. Worried about moving her/chicks, to main coop.

[@appleturnover]

exciting! can you give them their own space? i’ll try to film my ‘garden flat’ for my chicks. under the hen house

[@kimjaymama26]

New subscriber. We recently got a few hens to begin our little homeschool hobby farm. Your videos are by far the most informative and calming that I have come across in all my research. Well done!

[@appleturnover]

that’s so wonderful! i only learn when i’m calm so i’m pleased that both are happening! welcome!

[@danny_3366]

Can you give us a tour of your farm it looks so beautiful and your filmmaking is just amazing.

[@appleturnover]

that’s a lovely idea! we’re ever so pleased you think so.

[@lucindawilliams6838]

I have ten healthy chicks with a great healthy mother. They are in a run separated only by wire from the other four hens and the roster. He has been a very good rooster until now he act like he would peck or attack the chicks given the chance. The hen want to be back with the flock and I have been doing daily supervised outings. If the rooster acts aggressive I blast him with the water hose. I would appreciate any ideas and feedback! Thanks😊

[@appleturnover]

oh dear! i do find sometimes a hen will pick on chicks. in my experience the broody hen will protect her babies but i separate or supervise when they are together and make sure everyone has plenty of space. hopefully he’ll calm down as they get older and can join his flock. i would just continue to separate them til they are older.

[@doodles3075]

Have just let my beautiful Show girl silkie have 6 eggs. We managed to only hatch one. Shes such a proud mum. Round 2 with another showgirl. Finger crossed for another proud mum❤

[@appleturnover]

fingers crossed! hurrah silkies!

[@blenhardt1245]

I really enjoyed your video. There is a serenity and oneness with nature about it that was just lovely and really spoke to me. I have a broody hen right now that I am going to try and give some chicks to when they arrive this week.

[@appleturnover]

oh, i’m so glad. i have never tried giving a broody chicks, i’m sure pepper hen would adopt anyone but others i would use serious caution with particularly if they hadn’t been on eggs for long enough for their hormones to be ready to welcome chicks (rather than protect against intruders!). it depends on factors well beyond my experience. i can say that integrating at night is often easier and the younger, the better…i wish you best luck, no pecking, and would love to hear how it goes.

[@bharathnanjundaswamy4249]

Very imformative and beautifully set up coop and healthy chickens .

[@appleturnover]

thanks bharath!

[@GeorginaBarnette]

Excellent video, thank you 😊❤

[@appleturnover]

my pleasure, georgina

[@RosalindMoorhouse]

By far and away the most engaging KZbin chicken station. Beautifully filmed, informative and love the musical interludes too. Well done ❤️👍😊

[@appleturnover]

well now shucks (´∀｀)☆彡 thanks ever so much!

[@ElHuertodeAzul]

Hi, we are so happy we found your channel, your videos are great, relaxing and peaceful. Great color and really nice shots. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!!

[@appleturnover]

oh, delighted to hear this, thank you! i’m working on the second episode of the journal of small work* now!

[@annhoney3628]

Beautiful, calming, and encouraging!

[@appleturnover]

thanks ann. this is encouraging for me to hear x

[@dorcasmcleod9439]

How cool! Give God the glory for creating these amazing creatures.

[@appleturnover]

glorious creatures all.

[@klausnotsanta]

Loved this as all other videos. Thank you! I have several questions if that’s alright ))) For how long do you keep the eggs before adding them to the broody hens nest? Was there a most definitely- “too long” timeframe? Also what do you do with roosters? And the last I may have skipped it in other videos you mentioning the location of your place? No need too precise obviously, just the approximate geography/country. Thanks from New Zealand 👌🏻

[@appleturnover]

i’m so glad! we’re on a tiny island in the salish sea, which is along the southwest coast of canada. now, i try to gather hatching eggs within a few days, and keep them at a cool room temperature until it’s time. i’ve also ordered hatching eggs and that must take over a week so there is some leeway. ah, the roosters. very special fellows find homes, and raising heritage breeds helps with that. but too many fellows just makes for fighting, so we do eat them. it is a better model for meat than just raising lots of ‘meat birds’; they have a glorious life for four or five times longer what their compatriots would have, and a swift and humane end. it’s not easy, but it is also necessary. we also help to keep strong genetics by choosing healthy, amiable roosters who tend to our hens and keep them safe.

[@lovesgalettes5987]

Stunning and seamless, such gorgeous shots and great information, as always! xx

[@appleturnover]

ah, that means the world to us xx

[@cherylangel1714]

I raised my mama hen from 2 days old but now that she has her own babies, she tells them to ignore me lol She's funny. I help her when I can, but let her do the rest. I ordered food for the chicks but it won't be here until they are a week old, so trying to find stuff to feed them is stressful, although my mother hen tells them not to eat what I give her anyway lol

[@appleturnover]

we’ve had mamas like that! technically they are the best ones, but i prefer the ones that introduce me fondly and let me cuddle and feed their chicks! whatever you do, don’t wear big workgloves around her. one mama hen tried to kill my gloves! danger! enjoy the babies.

[@annebatchelder5199]

Beautiful yard for chickens 🌻

[@appleturnover]

thank you! we all love it.

[@MarioLopez-ob5rv]

What breed are your broody hens? They are very beautiful...

[@appleturnover]

they’re very flattered (о´∀`о) they’re lavender or black orpingtons, an easter egger and a barred rock. wonderful heritage breeds.

[@marinaaleksjutina]

I wait for your videos! Thank you! The hens - they all are Beauties!! ❤

[@appleturnover]

the hens say thank you and so do we! thanks for your enthusiastic support marina x

[@almarlin7500]

As with your other videos, this one is both beautiful and informative. Thank you. I understand the importance of penciling the date on the eggs to be hatched and then candling them after the hen has sat on them for 8 days. The only part I didn't get was just how cold to store the eggs while you wait for the whole batch to be laid - e.g. at 5' or 10' or 15 degrees C?

[@appleturnover]

thank you al! i just keep them at a cool room temperature, in our pantry (not where they’ll get eaten!) which is probably 15-18C. pretty much just don’t want them to be too warm? i’m not sure too cold matters…something to look at. as fresh as possible is best! sometimes we buy in hatching eggs from a producer, local or less local, to get more diversity, sometimes we collect our own…i so appreciate your kind words.

[@angelicatitus]

I anxiously await your videos. Would love to see more of your place.

[@appleturnover]

that’s so lovely angelica! we’ll what we can do!

[@LuckyFigFarm]

Lovely video, thanks

[@appleturnover]

my pleasure, lucky fig.

[@jessreed3322]

this was an absolutely delightful video to watch.

[@appleturnover]

thanks jess!

[@theresacard2237]

Thank you, that was very helpful!

[@appleturnover]

oh, good. my pleasure!

[@greaterthanme876]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this adventure! My husband and I are hoping to introduce fertilized eggs to our hens for the first time this spring. When the chicks hatch, have you ever had to be concerned with the rest of the flock bothering or challenging the babies, or do they tend to automatically accept the chicks as part of the family?

[@appleturnover]

i definitely separate them. mama will protect them and i don’t like to see her wallop anyone. once she weans them i begin to integrate them…she’s usually already introduced them to the henhouse by then herself and they learn to be quick and stay out of trouble. but that’s 7 weeks or older. best to observe and see how things look. happy brooding!!

[@JohnSmith-vi5iv]

very nice video, beautiful scenaros, eloquent and soothing narrates, The background music matchs whole video perfectly. 👍👍👍

[@appleturnover]

oh, thank you john! i’m very pleased you thought the music i wrote fit it well. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

[@husseinmadbouh3157]

Absolutely loved your video. Thank you so much.

[@appleturnover]

i’m delighted. i hope you’ll like the new film i’m working on as much.

[@soepeexpugnaverunt4596]

Beautiful! What if we don't have a resident rooster but can bring one temporarily to fertilize? If so, at what point do we do that and how long? We live in a residential area so we can't have a permanent rooster. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[@appleturnover]

you could order ‘hatching eggs’ from a trusted source, then you can bring in whatever breeds you like? we often do that to have more genetic diversity (and pretty egg colours!)

[@fazalkhanfazalkhan8521]

We have lots of hens And I love ur set up

[@appleturnover]

lovely! thanks!

[@marmalade2611]

Thank you for posting this video. I have a Speckled Sussex hen which has gone broody and am preparing to set some eggs. She is very determined. I have a broody box set up in a mobile chicken tractor which I plan to keep in the chicken yard. How soon do you allow the mama hen and her chicks to begin venturing out to mingle with the flock? At what age do you move the chicks into the main coop?

[@appleturnover]

we supervise free ranging as soon as everyone is zipping around and can handle mama the crazy digger. usually three days (though she will want to get out for a poop!). they don’t mix well with the flock so we move them to a separated space soon after, chicken wire will do it. otherwise she tries to beat everyone up *don’t you touch my baby*. usually around 5 weeks she’ll start teaching them to go into the coop though she may not wean til later. usually they don’t fully integrate for months but hang out all together even after mama weans.

[@afolabigbolahan401]

You are doing a great job. Thank you very much God bless you. Afolabi from Nigeria.

[@appleturnover]

thank you afolabi!

[@christysmith5211]

that grey / lavender hen at about 4 minutes in?? what breed is that please? She is beautiful.

[@appleturnover]

we have lavender orpingtons, they are just gorgeous though their black-feather siblings are faster at feathering. we’ve also crossed our orpingtons with silver easter eggers (ameracauna) who lay blue eggs, to make a pale green-laying olive egger. several of them look like easter eggers with extra floofy bottoms but one of them looks like a very petite orpington with a rose comb. they are all thoroughly hardy to the changing climate here which we so appreciate. the black ones will even sunbathe on a scorcher. great mamas, great layers, great friends.

[@zoes32flavaz]

1:29 is that a bieldfelder? we have one too who just hatched chicks! I’m trying to find out how to gain the chicks trust while she’s raising them. She’s pretty tame herself but her chicks run away..

[@appleturnover]

yes! try feeding her seeds that she can feed her chicks, and then when you can grab them let them look in your eyes and talk to them. they’ll associate you with good things eventually.

[@saltyfarms]

Your rooster is beautiful 😍

[@appleturnover]

i think so too. handsome fellow, and a good papa.

[@unknownunknown-mw4ql]

You live my dream! ❤ Greetings from Germany 😊

[@appleturnover]

i wish it for you! schüß

[@susiehaddock6224]

so much care and love....beautiful

[@appleturnover]

thank you susie!

[@ozlemseren2000]

Hi! Quick question. Do the hens go back to their nesting boxes to lay their egg or do they just lay them wherever while ranging? I free range my chickens after a certain hour because of this reason. We have a big piece of land and Im afraid they will lay eggs anywhere and I will never be able to find them 😊

[@appleturnover]

i have a longer answer for you- coming in a short! the short answer is, if keeping them in later is working for you, stick with it!

[@Fattiapples]

How do the chickens know that mini box is the brood box? I’m worried if I put my silkie in it she will just go back to the bigger coop and brood? How long do you keep the mother and baby chicks in the brood box overall? Do you open and close the box manually for few weeks?

[@appleturnover]

i do open and close it for a while- so she can get out for a dustbathe. but i don’t want other hens getting in…so it’s great if you give her a run. it’s just more work monitoring when she’s ready to go back. some hens get it. some hens still go back to the nestbox, aughh! i keep them in the broody box until everyone is running around more and capable of being with a digging mama. she will do some serious digging as soon as she gets them out and if there’s a later, weaker chick it can be too soon for them. i have had to babysit once or twice when we had a staggered hatch by accident. so, keep her in probably 2-3 days. i will sometimes offer to have her pop out and she’ll do one of those saved-up extraordinary chicken poops, and then i coax her back in…she will generally go to her chicks. one more tip - chickens hate gloves, but broody hens will try to kill them to protect their babies. i made the mistake of moving a chick with gloves on. ooops. good luck!

[@wanderingsmiles3288]

We tried moving the brooding hen to a brooding house and she stopped brooding. The eggs went cold. Could you do a vid of how to accomplish that. We are just learning. Thanks!

[@appleturnover]

yes, that’s a test there. we often give some test eggs first and see if they will settle. if they don’t they probably aren’t serious. they may have another go in a few weeks. sometimes i just give it in and let them brood where they are but that can be tricky! make sure you pencil numbers on and check that other hens aren’t adding eggs! or disturbing her nest. i’ll see if i can film it.

[@shannonkeithley7042]

I love your videos!! I'm learning so much

[@appleturnover]

oh, i’m so pleased, shannon! you might like to join the mailing list, eepurl.com/dO0KAz (the postcards)

[@yentenshenga3881]

You should come up with more vlogs like this my suggestion one of your subscribers

[@appleturnover]

cheers. check out last week’s short and stay tuned for tomorrow’s…

[@wwjcd4485]

Love it! Good Job.

[@appleturnover]

cheers!

[@jessicaj8148]

I have a broody now and I didn’t move her. I wish I did. My friend told me not to disturb her but now I wish I moved her because I’m experiencing drama with the other girls. When she came out to eat today she seemed ravenous and then other hens were picking on her. Another hen is now on her nest. I’m hoping things work out. It’s only been about 5 days since she went broody. She is very young. Just about shy of a year old.

[@appleturnover]

those are early days for a broody, sometimes they haven’t even quite decided to settle down and get on with it. once they do they often don’t want to eat much at all. unless you’ve invested in eggs you can’t replace, you could still try moving her, see if she’ll settle. why must hens pick on broodies?! you can just move that other hen, pop her back on her nest, and give her some chicken wire round her? we have before. with her own secure water and some food right beside her…then offer her a field trip daily and be there to get her back to the right nest. make sure you do label your eggs gently with pencil or you may get others added and have different aged chicks…not fun. i tend to move them just to check if they really are serious!

[@alesol540]

Un saludo con cariño desde Venezuela

[@appleturnover]

♡

[@noracailyn9892]

I need to know how you built your little chick house! Was there a blue Print you followed, or did you just make it from scratch? Love from Wisconsin 🤍💕💝

[@appleturnover]

it’s sweet right? a friend built one similar to it and i just used what i had. i knew i wanted it big enough for my floofy orpingtons and for chicks that are getting to be a few weeks old, just in case, though they usually move out to the ‘garden flat’ under the henhouse after a few days…she just wants to be digging. i think it’s more or less a 2’ box on legs, but with a lower back for a shedding roof. door becomes ramp, easy. i’d do a lighter metal roof in future.

[@teramartindale432]

Love your farm thank you for this beautiful video how many eggs do you give your hens?

[@appleturnover]

my pleasure! i try to keep it to a dozen max, and my birds are pretty big. amazing how they flatten out like a feather blanket. too many eggs and they just can’t keep them all humid, though they’ll try and add more if they can get hold of them! i’ve never seen a hen CARRY an egg but they must move them somehow!

[@davidtannock5705]

VERY GOOD NICE SET UP AN THE WEATHER

[@appleturnover]

thank you!

[@alesol540]

Sube vídeos más seguidos 😍Me encantan todos, todos tus vídeos

[@appleturnover]

oh, estoy encantado!

[@michaelc5768]

Where in the United States is this place? Kinda pretty and peaceful.

[@appleturnover]

hello michael, we’re on an island in the salish sea, canada-side, pacific coast. such a pretty island.

[@Fattiapples]

Could I put that mini brood box in my larger coop or would mixing the chicks with other older hens not a good idea

[@appleturnover]

you could, maybe throw a bit of chicken wire around it? we keep chicks separate…the broody will try to beat up the hens that come near them! we often move them under the coop and fence it.

[@alesol540]

Crecería mucho yu canal y subes vídeos más seguidos. Por favor me encantan tus vídeos. Más! 🙏

[@appleturnover]

não muito tempo agora! obrigado!

[@walkingfish7123]

I've seen videos of chickens walking like ducks but I want to know if that duckling walks like a chicken

[@appleturnover]

he’s definitely doing his best to blend in. enough that the ducks are saying, but IS that a duck?

[@fancyhelloo8332]

Where is this place? Beautiful!

[@appleturnover]

salt spring island, off the west coast of canada. it’s a beautiful island!

[@cindipierce1478]

So peaceful

[@appleturnover]

thank you cindi!

[@omgbro3033]

Upload more often please

[@appleturnover]

yes, we have ambitious plans in the works now harvest season has peaked! glad to hear you want more :)

[@Earthto_Ayo]

How can you tell which eggs are fertilized? And will the roaster kill the chicks?

[@appleturnover]

the easiest way to make sure, really, is to keep the rooster separated with a few hens and see that he is mating them, then gather their eggs. the broody mama takes care of her chicks and if he is attached to her they should be ok? but it is worth watching and giving her her own space when not actually free-ranging. ours have been doting fathers.

[@DawarKhan01]

When do I expect my hen to be broody she has laid 9 eggs so far! She’s a Rhode Island red and she looks very small compared to your chickens!

[@appleturnover]

hard to know! we have a rhode island red and she went broody in november!! bonkers hen.

[@FeedMeSalt]

My big black hen Susan is going on six years old, she doesn't lay or hatch clutches anymore but she steals every batch of chicks she sees 😂 it's not uncommon to see this great great grandmother hen with 40+ chicks behind her in the hayloft.

[@appleturnover]

what an amazing story! bye mama i’m off with great great grandmother….!

[@danthiesen4778]

How soon do you let the momma take her babies out with the flock once they hatch?

[@appleturnover]

i like to wait til every chick is bouncy enough to keep up and get out of the way of her super-charged digging. once she gets out she really goes foraging and it isn’t good if there’s someone too new to keep up. it’s usually just a couple of days. she might need bathroom break though…but she’ll kind of let you know.