our animals

One day, our founder, Keryn received this message from Diane at The Happy Herd, “can you take a month old chicken that cannot walk?” A lady had begged a farmer not to kill the chicken, brought it to The Happy Herd and it had been in a crate for a month and still wasn’t moving around.

Kindred has cared for handicapped chickens before so Keryn asked her Animal Care Team Leaders and they agreed to see if we could help the chicken.

We took a chance, because this chicken may have been a rooster and we would have had a tough time accommodating a rooster at the time. But Keryn made a vet appointment and picked the chicken up from The Happy Herd.

Dr. Louise Allmark did a thorough exam and confirmed that she was a hen. On examination, she couldn’t find any reason why she wasn’t walking. Keryn asked for x-rays just to be sure and the x-rays showed nothing abnormal with her hips, legs or feet. Dr. Louise and Keryn felt that with some physical therapy we could build up her muscle mass and muscle memory to help her walk.

She was also malnourished, partly due to her disfigured beak. Factory hatcheries remove the tips of the beaks with a hot blade on an assembly line and this often results in misshapen beaks that make it harder to eat. We will have to watch as her beak grows and trim it when needed to ensure she can eat enough food.

This little hen came to Kindred Farm just as Camp Badger was starting in the summer of 2024. Magic happens when the arrival of a new rescue coincides with our Children’s Programs. The children quickly fell in love with her and gave her the name Maggie Mae. This was perfect timing as a new rescue often requires a lot of care and the children took her under their “wing”. She was unable to walk on her own, so the children carried her everywhere. When not being carried, she was in a hand-me-down wheelchair either watching the children’s activities or snoozing. What a perfect way to start your new life at Kindred Farm.

Our animal care volunteers also fell in love with Maggie Mae. She now spends mornings and afternoons in her new wheelchair inside the barn or office with lots of interaction. During the day she also hangs out in the yard with Olive Oyl the turkey, right between the ducks and other chickens. And at night, for now, she’s tucked safely away in the farm house.