Boston woman raises animal-love to a whole new level with a $2,500 3D printed chicken prosthetic. Leading candidate for Mother Hen of Year.

Pets are important. People get their pets manicures, fancy collars, pricey surgeries. So, what if that pet…is a chicken?

Andrea Martin runs the Black Thistle Farm in the Boston area, and this isn’t the first time she has opted for chicken surgery. Just last year, one of her hens got a $3,000 hysterectomy. It seems the chicken rescuer doesn’t just talk; she walks the walk.

She was faced with a “no-brainer” when her chicken, Cecily, was born with an immobilizing torn tendon. “She needs to be able to live a normal life,” says Martin. The choice between euthanasia and funding the world’s first chicken prosthetic was obvious.

Cecily’s procedure is set to take place at Tufts University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. A CT-scan will produce the data and measurements needed for her limb to then be designed and printed. After Cecily’s existing leg is amputated, she will be sent home to rest for roughly two weeks before returning to get her new limb fitted.

Though 3D Printed prosthetics are becoming more common, Martin reminds that any surgeries performed on birds include extra risks. As Cecily will be receiving the first chicken prosthetic, it will be even riskier. However, hope is keeping Cecily and Martin moving forward.

Perhaps the most interesting result of this will be when Martin records Cecily’s story in the form of a children’s book. According to Martin, Cecily needs to “tell her story.” A well-written book about a lonely hen overcoming adversity through a 3D printed leg is just the kind of that story that could raise enough royalties to pay for her surgery, and those of many other ill chickens. (Via: CBS and Reuters)