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Chicken walks again thanks to West MI high school class

Posted at 2:57 PM, Jun 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-13 10:58:31-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A chicken that lost her feet in freezing cold temperatures can strut around the hen house again thanks to engineering students at a West Michigan high school.

Students at the West Michigan School of Aviation designed the prosthetic feet for Debbie Harry, the chicken, as an extracurricular project this spring.

Rachel Diepstra, who owns Debbie, tells FOX 17 that the chicken almost froze to death one night this past winter.  After being warmed up, the chicken's feet still fell off.  She reached out for help on social media and a friend knew an engineering teacher at the school and thought it would be a fun project.

Students used a 3D printer to make Debbie's feet.  Andrew Abissi, the engineering teacher says they went through over 20 designs before finding ones that worked best for Debbie. The first concerns were getting Debbie to stand, since she was developing sores on her belly from always laying on it.  After getting her up, they worked on mobility, including doing some "chicken physical therapy."

Watch Debbie Harry walk Tuesday afternoon below: