At just a few days old, the fragile chick arrived at a feed store in central New York—bound for egg production on a farm or in a hobby flock. But once buyers took a good look at her, those plans changed—for the worse.

Vector was born with a severe cross beak (her beak overlaps like scissors, instead of aligning at the tips). This makes it hard for her to eat solid foods; she just can’t get a grip due to the unnatural angle. Though chickens like her can still thrive with proper care, not everyone is willing to provide it. Preparing special meals is a time commitment, and it would cost more to keep up with Vector’s routine care than to simply buy a healthier chick.

Fortunately, a kind soul came to the rescue. Concerned that the chick might starve, an employee of the feed store brought Vector home to join her flock. She took care of Vector for a couple of years, and did her best to keep her healthy. But when the guardian decided to go back to school, she knew she’d have less time to tend to Vector’s needs. So she asked if we could take over her care.

Through experience treating similar cases, we felt that Vector could thrive. Years back, we rescued another Ameraucana girl, also born with a severe cross beak, named Bella. Bella stays healthy with a special diet, and is a spunky member of our special needs flock. We hoped that Vector would see similar success, and that the two might bond and become friends.

Both girls’ conditions likely stemmed from incubation errors. In order to develop into fluffy peeping chicks, a fertilized egg has to stay warm and safe for roughly 21 days. In nature, this occurs beneath a loving mother hen. But on many small farms and industrial hatcheries (where Bella and Vector came from, respectively), this process mostly takes place in artificial incubators.

Regardless of method, various problems can occur—caused by health or genetic issues in hens, or human or mechanical error while preparing a batch for hatching. In many cases, the industry does little to help the individuals affected. Those who are different are typically culled, or they go unwanted and uncared for, as producers only value the animals that they can profit from. But at Farm Sanctuary, we invest in farm animals as individuals—not products.

Vector’s challenges don’t define her—and with a little modification, she enjoys a normal quality of life. After arriving at Sanctuary, we placed her on a special diet to ensure she gets the nutrients she needs. She gets a soft mash three times a day, made up of watered down chicken pellets, veggies, treats, and other supplements. And, she’s on a regular monitor to ensure she remains at a healthy weight.

But as we learned previously with Bella, mealtime can get a bit messy: The girls often get more food on their feathers than in their mouths! As a result, both Vector and Bella need a bath and blow dry after most meals. For Vector, “spa time” also includes the occasional manicure where we trim her beak to reduce further misgrowth.

Along with their similar routines, Vector and Bella have similar personalities. They can be bold and bossy from time to time—especially when food is involved—and both are dominant members of our special needs flock. At first, they ruffled each other’s feathers a bit; newcomer Vector felt she should be the boss, and Bella wasn’t ready to be dethroned. But they slowly began growing on each other, and now even enjoy eating from the same bowl.

Farm animals are so much more than eggs, meat, milk, and other products. For Bella and the rest of us that know and love Vector, she brings value to the world simply by being in it.