Become a fledgling!

A fluffy yellow chick and a gray chick standing next to a red tulip on a beige carpet, with a green plant and woven baskets in the background.

A fledgling is a baby bird that has developed flight feathers and is starting to explore the outside world, but is still under parental care. At The Broody Hen, we encourage our fledglings — those with intellectual, cognitive, and developmental disabilities — to take a step outside and begin learning how to fly by gaining practical work skills on the farm.

What is a fledgling, you ask?

Our fledglings will learn:

  • how to feed, clean, and care for farm animals

  • how to work together as a team

  • how to care and grow food and flowers

  • how to plant seeds

  • how to save seeds

  • how to collect and wash eggs

  • how to interact with the public

  • how to package goods to sell

  • how to harvest and preserve foods

  • ….and so much more!

Two boys stand outside near grass and bushes; one holds a rake on his shoulder and shows a friendly gesture while the other leans in smiling. They are dressed casually, with cars and a fence in the background.
A girl with dark hair in a bun wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans kneels on the ground and feeds milk to a small goat with white and brown fur using a plastic bottle, next to a large tree in a grassy outdoor setting.

Applicants Must:

  • Provide their own transportation to and from the farm.

  • Be able to work in all weather situations and wear appropriate clothing for heat, cold, rain, and snow.

  • Be supervised by a parent, job coach, aide, or companion who can help assure tasks are done completely and correctly.

  • Applicants must have a signed farm waiver on file.

Parents/Caregivers:

If you are a parent or caregiving and are unable to attend the farm with your teen or adult child, we would like to encourage you to look into ECF Choices to see if it is a fit for you and your circumstances.

ECF Choices is a program offered under the TENNCARE umbrella. Through the program, families who have adults with disabilities can apply for financial assistance so the family can have a support person for their adult with disabilities. It allows you to either hire someone through their program, or you can hire someone of your own choosing—which is the route I chose.

This resource allows your adult to have and maintain employment, receive transportation to and from work and other community activities, as well as gives you, the parent, respite time. Funds come from Medicaid, thus allowing you to not have to dip out of your own pocket. It has been so helpful! Once your adult with disabilities has a job, the team at ECF choices is very responsive, from my experience.

Here is a link to apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Three girls smiling and holding a garden hose over a bucket outdoors on a sunny day, with a dog lying on the grass in the background, surrounded by trees and garden furniture.

  • Clothing is important at the farm! We work rain, snow, wind, and shine. There are days you will get muddy and wet. There are days you will sweat and there are days you will be cold.

    We highly recommend boots and long pants as well as clothing that you do not mind getting dirty. A pair of gloves is also a great idea, as we do handle a bunch of dirty items.

    If it is raining, we do recommend wearing rain gear, in addition to the boots and long pants. And in the heat of summer, please be sure to apply sunscreen and wear a hat for sun protection.

  • While you are more than welcome to join as at the farm to help and work daily, it is not a requirement. We understand that many of our friends need to stay under a certain financial status due to Social Security and we desire to work with you to assure we are staying within what we need for our workers. If your adult desires to work more hours than they are allowed to be paid, we will allow them to work as a volunteer.

  • As we continue to grow and work out the details of our business hours, we currently have morning and evening hours available. Our morning chores shift is anytime from 6 am - 10 am and our evening chores shift is anytime from 4 pm - 6 pm (and as it gets darker earlier possibly til 5 pm).

    We do hope to have more standard business hours in the future as needed, however, we are still working out these details.

  • As a non-profit organization, The Broody Hen is always hard at work raising funds for our adults with disabilities. While each individual begins as a volunteer, this is temporary. Doing this enables us to see where they fit best and how to place them—be it with animals, in the garden, at the farm stand, making bracelets to sell, etc. Once we know where to place our new hires and find their perfect fit, we start everyone at minimum wage.

  • Yes! You can just be a volunteer. Those who work less than 6 hours a week are already at volunteer status. However, if you would like to work on the farm more than 6 hours as simply a volunteer, we will gladly put you to work.

  • Upon first starting at The Broody Hen, you will be trained how to chore. We ask that everyone attend at least 2 training sessions to “learn the ropes” when it comes to choring. The first time through, we show you and your job coach, parent, or aide how to do the work. The second time out, we are there to answer questions while you do the work because we believe we learn more by doing. If after two training sessions, you need additional help learning the process, we will be more than happy to continue training you and your helper.

    It is vital that the work done, is done well and complete, so we would rather train you too much, than not enough.

  • The only other thing you’ll need to do is apply to become a fledgling with The Broody Hen, fill out our farm waiver, and schedule your training!

  • Our Volunteer Coordinator, Ms. Sue, puts a weekly schedule together and sends it out on Sunday evenings. We have a group-me chat where we post the schedule. Make sure you download the app and ask for the link to the group me chat upon applying.