Chicken On Bed Rest Loves Watching Nature Shows

Olivia Fox and her fiancé have adopted several chickens, but there's always been something extra special about Strawberry.

"She is the sweetest, most darling hen we've ever had," Fox told The Dodo. "She loves to talk. We'll often have entire conversations, and she purrs when she's happy."

The couple has been adopting chickens from the Animal Place sanctuary in California for some time now, and loves every member of their adorable flock.

Strawberry came to the couple with an injured hock joint, and no one could quite figure out what was causing it. "We brought her to the vet a few times, but even the vet was baffled and suggested we drive up to UC Davis poultry extension to talk to the faculty there," Fox said.

The vets at UC Davis were also pretty baffled by Strawberry's injury, and recommended that she stay off her feet 24 hours a day.

Being forced to stay in bed all day is fun for no one, and Strawberry was no exception. She grew bored with sitting around all day and was constantly trying to get up - and that's when her parents discovered that she loves watching nature documentaries.

"Videos of other chickens got her too excited - she wanted to join them," Fox said. "Videos of people talking got her bored (and she's not shy about letting us know). Wildlife and landscapes suit her best. But not underwater documentaries - those freak her out."

Watching National Geographic is the best way for Strawberry to keep herself occupied while staying in bed all day. In the meantime, her parents have been working hard to figure out a way to get her back on her feet very soon.

"They told us that what was needed was to keep her off her feet as much as possible, and that with ducks this wouldn't be a problem because they could just put her in water," Fox said. "They said with chickens, 'there's no way.'"

But the couple found a way.

Now, Strawberry undergoes physical therapy by spending time walking around in a kiddie pool. The process seems to be working, because recently, Strawberry took her very first steps outside of the pool.

The nature shows are starting to seem less appealing to Strawberry now that she's learning to walk again, and hopefully with a little patience and a lot of love, Strawberry will be healed and running around in no time at all.

You can keep up with Strawberry's adventures on her Facebook page.