Thousands raised to help chicken born with backwards foot: "He's somebody -- not something"



ANGLETON, Texas -- A chicken born with a backwards foot is getting a whole lot of love! A campaign has been launched to help pay his medical bills, and thousands of dollars have been raised.

Baby Huey is being cared for in Brazoria County, Texas.

Baby Huey is three months old. He gets excited when he sees the Angry Birds app, but his biggest achievement is that he's still around. He was hatched in an incubator.

After Baby Huey's mother was killed by animals, Nikki Rush was determined to save the eggs and chicks -- but Baby Huey came into the world with a rotated leg.

"Every animal deserves a quality of life, and if we bring them in, they should be able to have that quality of life," Rush said.

Rush named him Baby Huey, and tried every recommended remedy to try to fix his leg -- but nothing allowed him to use it. Rush took him to Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists, where surgery was proposed.

Rush, who is a disabled Air Force veteran couldn't afford the surgery, so she turned to Rowdy Girl Animal Sanctuary in Angleton, Texas.

"She said she was willing to set up a Go Fund Me (account) to take care of the surgery, and one thing led to the other," Renee King-Sonnen, Rowdy Girl Sanctuary founder said.

The account is called Hope for Huey.

As of Sunday, February 12th, more than $2,200 was raised towards the $3,500 goal.

Meanwhile, Dr. Brian Beale is preparing for Huey's surgery. He's created a 3-D model of Huey's leg to practice on.

"I fully expect him to be able to walk. We may do a little bit of physical therapy to teach him to walk," Dr. Beale said.

The hope is that Huey will have the operation soon. He'll recover at the Rowdy Girl Animal Sanctuary, where he has a volunteer caretaker who is attached to him and believes he's more than just a chicken -- but an example of a brave spirit with feathers.

"He's somebody -- not something. He has a name," Cherie Holman, sanctuary volunteer said.