Just over a year ago, our neighbours asked me if I was missing a chicken, because one had been spotted on the meadow outside our house (I was not missing a hen). About 6 weeks later someone caught the hen and brought her to me, assuming she was mine (she was not).

She was very thin and weak so I brought her indoors and set about finding her owner. She clearly loved being around people and we assumed she was a pet. We advertised everywhere but no one claimed her. She lived in our bathroom for six weeks while we tried to find her owner.

New hens have to be quarantined, preferably with a quarantine buddy. That way, if they have recovered from something infectious but remain a carrier, you'll find out when the other bird gets sick. I learned some carpentry and made her a coop, and bought her a new friend.

The big grey bird is a bantam Brahma - full size brahmas are HUGE. They are gentle giants though, and we figured that a big bird would defend Domino, since she's a dinky little bantam about half the size of my existing flock birds.

My friend named her Michelle Obrahma.

Domino wasn't delighted with losing her heated towel rail privileges or sharing her new palace with a stranger, but the two hens quickly became best buds. A few weeks later and with neither bird sick, they were ready to start being introduced to my other girls.