Q: What's your rescue story?

Humans were such jerks when I hatched! They picked me up from a moving floor and turned me upside down to look at my tummy--so rude! They did it to everyone, and took all the boy hatchlings away. All of the  girls were moved from box to box, one scary new place to the next. Finally, I was in a noisy box with lights, but the lights were wrong--they were too red, and they came out and went away too fast.

Actually, it was all wrong. Some of the ground hurt to walk on, and the perches were too cold, and the dirt was too soft and there was nothing in it, and there weren't any boys! I still don't know where they went! And no one could find enough food! Sometimes food would come from this noisy stick, but we had to fight over it and it wasn't enough anyway. We were all really hungry. And we couldn't even eat our eggs! They would roll onto a moving floor, or they would go under the floor where we couldn't see them, and humans would come take them! Isn't that so rude?! I was starving. Sometimes we would try to eat poops because we were so hungry, but poops don't make you strong.

So I lived there most of my life, and my entire existence was hunger, pain, sickness, and exhaustion. I didn't want to get bullied, so I tried to be tough for as long as I could. But one day, I got too tired, and I had to lay down because I couldn't move my legs. There were some other ladies who had decided to lay down and hadn't gotten up, and I think they died, because they weren't breathing. I thought for sure I would turn out like them, because it was hurting me to breathe. But some humans came and got me and we left the noisy box. They cleaned the poop off my beak and gave me some water, and one of them sang me her pretty song. I was too tired to even look at them, and I was way too tired to talk.

We went to another place where other humans said nice things to me, but then they poked me with sharp stuff. And they kept putting a long floppy worm in my mouth and putting it way down in my belly, but when they did that I would feel nice and full so it wasn't too bad. I got better and I stopped hurting. Then, I finally went outside. Outside is so great! The dirt is really nice to scratch through and clean my feathers with, and there's always lots of food because the humans put it in a big bowl for me. And I got to meet some other ladies! They all said they came from the big noisy box too, and we're all really happy to be out of there.

Q: What makes you special?

Well, I'm the biggest. So now I'm kind of the momma of the flock. That means I'm the protector. I gotta know where everyone is, and watch out for trouble. Sometimes I find good food, and I tell everyone, but I also get to have some first!

A little while ago, a new lady joined us. She's called Honey and she has really pretty blonde feathers. She's real scared, because she's lost from her other home--the humans made her go away. Another lady, Peach, is kinda mean--she was the biggest before me--but I stay by Honey so she's safe, and I make sure that Peach leaves her alone. When it's night time and she's feeling extra scared, I cuddle up next to her on the perch so she knows I'm there.

I'm also the most patient with the humans. Humans almost always like to pick us up, but they don't always do it to be mean. Sometimes they do it to make us get better, or give us tasty food--like whole corn! Or blueberries! Sometimes they even give you spaghetti!! So whenever a human wants to pick me up, that's okay with me--as long as they aren't rude! Sometimes they even stroke your feathers, or cuddle you, or rub your belly, and that feels really nice.

Also, I have the prettiest feathers! They're really red and I keep them really shiny.

Q: How have you healed since your rescue? How has your human healed?

Like I said, I'm not sick anymore, I'm the biggest, and I don't have to be afraid of any bullies. Also, I don't lay so many eggs anymore, after the humans poked me with another sharp thing. I don't like the sharp things,. but they must be magic.

One of the humans, Alexis, who saved me is really happy. She seemed scared when we first met, but now she just squeals when she sees me. She's also probably the cuddliest human. She really likes to give hugs, and she always clicks her soft beak at me. I get to see her every day! Sometimes when she cuddles with me, she sings the same pretty song from when we first met, and I love to close my eyes and listen.

My life is really great now. Everything that I have here is perfect--there's lots of space to explore, lots of bugs to find, lots of interesting people and things--have you ever seen one of those big furry four-leg things?! I live with one now, and turns out they're REALLY nice--lots of sunshine, lots of shade. I never knew it, but this is just how I wanted my life to be, way back when I was a little hatchling. And now I'm here! I couldn't be happier.

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