MARIEFRED, SWEDEN – In a backyard in Mariefred, a small town by Lake Mälaren west of Stockholm, Boris the rooster, his four hens and a newly hatched chick go about their day on a 24/7 YouTube livestream called OnlyHens. Viewers anywhere in the world can feed them remotely: a payment on onlyhens.tv drops a portion of popcorn from a home-built feeder, live on camera.
In its first year, viewers in fourteen countries on four continents paid for a portion. The Netherlands ranks third, after Sweden and the United States. Per head of population, Dutch viewers feed the hens almost eight times as often as Americans.
“I honestly have no idea why. We also get a surprising number of emails and comments from the Netherlands. Maybe it’s the Dutch love of chickens, maybe it’s the humour. If anyone knows, I’d love to hear it.” – Robin Calmegård, creator of OnlyHens
OnlyHens started in 2025 as a joke and has grown into a serious hobby project, with more than 400 feedings so far. Many viewers keep the stream running all day as a kind of slow TV, at work or at home over weekend breakfast. Ten minutes after feeding, every buyer receives an email with a replay of their own feeding.
Help solve the mystery. Dutch viewers are invited to share how they discovered OnlyHens at onlyhens.tv/nl. As a thank-you, Dutch viewers get the exclusive chance to suggest names for the newly hatched chick. OnlyHens will pick the final name from their suggestions.
Facts
- Livestream: 24/7 on YouTube via onlyhens.tv
- Feeding: via onlyhens.tv, 3 euros (30 Swedish kronor) per portion, daily 08:00–20:00 CET
- Residents: Boris the rooster, four hens and a newly hatched chick
- Technology: feeder, payment system and livestream built by Robin Calmegård, a Swedish radio host and software developer
Note to editors
Photos and video clips: onlyhens.tv/press
Contact
Robin Calmegård, hello@onlyhens.tv