Stowaway chicken gets adopted after journey across Vancouver Island
After a 150-kilometre drive from Campbell River to Nanaimo, the workers aboard a recycling truck were shocked to find a surprise stowaway had hitched a ride with them.
Upon arrival at the recycling depot, a chicken emerged from the undercarriage of the truck, unscathed and unfazed.
“All of a sudden the chicken was just like, ’Oh, I’ll get off here’ and started, you know, scratching around like a chicken does,” Mike Sherman, an officer at Nanaimo Animal Control, told CTV News Wednesday. “Like not even rattled by you know, the long highway trip in the undercarriage of the truck.”
The whole situation was “unusual to say the least,” he added.
The truckers called Nanaimo Animal Control, and the hitchhiking hen was brought into their care.
A staff member named the bird Henrietta, an homage to his childhood chicken. And Henrietta rose to celebrity status while at the pound.
“The chicken was very friendly and used to being handled,” Sherman said. “Super domesticated, very sociable with you, not flighty or scared or anything.”
The animal control officer suspects Henrietta was someone’s pet. Unfortunately, efforts to track down her owner were unsuccessful.
But Henrietta’s adventure has a happy ending. Under animal bylaws, the pound puts unclaimed pets up for adoption if their owner isn’t found in an allotted time.
It didn’t take long at all for the bird to find a new family. “The circumstances of Henrietta coming into our care was definitely out of the norm,” Sherman said. “So it was easy to gather interest and she quickly got adopted out to a new loving home.”
Dayna Litowski brought Henrietta to her forever home in South Wellington outside Nanaimo on Saturday. She told CTV News in a text message that the hen will live her best chicken life on a large property with a flock of fellow feathered friends.
Henrietta with some of her new friends. (Image credit: Dayna Litowski) Litowski said Henrietta is settling in well and is getting a long with her new coop-mates. The hen is “super friendly” and likes being carried around and pet, she added.
“We have the room, so we may as well add a celebrity to our flock,” she wrote. “We love chickens, and even though they give us eggs, they are all our pets as well.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's 'most wanted terrorist' arrested on gun charges in Canada
One of India's most wanted terrorists has been arrested and charged in connection with a recent alleged shooting in Ontario.
12-year-old boy charged in stabbing of 11-year-old boy at Edmonton McDonald's
The boy stabbed at a north Edmonton McDonald's last Friday is 11 years old.
What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do
Medical experts agree that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. While it’s not the only sort of exercise people should do, it’s a great first step toward a healthy life.
U.S. Congress hosts second round of UFO hearings
The U.S. government held another UFO hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, the second such hearing in 16 months. This hearing was billed as an attempt by congress to provide a better understanding of what is known about previous sightings of UFOs, also known as UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena).
Toronto teenager charged with first-degree murder in Kitchener, Ont. homicide
A Toronto teen has been charged as part of an investigation into Kitchener, Ont.’s first homicide of 2024.
Spy service officer denies threatening Montreal man who was later imprisoned in Sudan
A Canadian Security Intelligence Service official has denied threatening a Montreal man who was later imprisoned and allegedly tortured by authorities in Sudan.
Donald Trump picks Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor.
This Canadian airline will adopt Apple's new AirTag feature to help recover lost baggage. Here's how
Apple announced that a new feature, 'Share Item Location,' will help users locate and recover misplaced items by sharing an AirTag location with third parties including airlines.
Canada bracing for 'tough' talks as Trump's pick calls northern border an 'extreme vulnerability'
The Canadian government is aware it's likely in for 'tough conversations' with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's administration, after his border czar said there is 'an extreme national security vulnerability' he intends to tackle at the Canada-U.S. border.