I had to put a sick hen down last week and I was really sad but this baby has been cheering me up.

We got her from a family friend who sold all their chickens for slaughter but I think she was given to us because of her "condition". She's perfectly fine besides walking a little funny. I think she had curled toes when she was a chick and it wasn't fixed.

My mom wanted to slaughter her at first because she thought she couldn't lay eggs and my brother called her the "retarded chicken". She was bullied by the rest of the flock and lost all her back feathers in the summer. I went on vacation for a week and when I came back she was hiding, not eating, and I thought she was dying.

I gave her her own coop, run, food and water and within a few months, she grew back all her feathers and is one of the few chickens still laying right now. She's super confident now and is able to be integrated with the rest of the flock without getting picked on.

The best part is I think she knows how much I love her because when she hears my door open she always runs toward me. She'll huddle underneath me as I scritch under her wings and pet her neck, wattle and comb. She still has her own coop and I always pick her up to bring her "home" and tuck her in. Such a big difference from my cream leg bars who flee anytime I get close lol.