A white duck with orange feet stands in an outdoor farmyard setting surrounded by dry grass, plants, and a water trough. A chicken with dark feathers on its backside is nearby. 3:16
GeoBeats Animals channel icon GeoBeats AnimalsOriginal creator 143K views Save

The fridge is this bantam hen's favorite bed

Dot was smaller than the rest of her flock. To stay away from the bullies, she slept alone at night on top of a 7-foot fence. more

She had been found as a stray, and someone may have dumped her. A friend of Tiffany's who rescues animals took her in, but Dot didn't get along with the other chickens. So she kept to herself up on that fence. In the end, Tiffany and her friend swapped animals, and Dot came to stay with Tiffany.

She was skittish and scared at first. It took a few months before she felt safe enough to come sit with Tiffany by choice. Once she did, she came to rely on it. Soon she was asking for that time every day, and she got a little annoyed if Tiffany didn't make time to talk with her.

Dot also has a few ducks who like her. If she runs around and gets too far away, they make sure she comes back. "You love your chicken, don't you," Tiffany says to one of them.

A white duck and a chicken stand near a wooden coop inside a pen with a chain-link fence. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Dot's duck friends make sure she comes back when she wanders off.

In winter, when Dot drops her feathers, she has to come stay in the house. She has her own play pen, but she sleeps on top of the refrigerator instead. Bedtime has a ritual. Tiffany offers her hand, Dot bites it, and that's the good-night bite.

Dot is an early riser. She's a Belgian booted bantam, so her feet are covered in feathers that look like bell-bottoms, or big slippers. Tiffany can hear her clip-clip coming through the house. In the bedroom, Dot flies up onto the bed, climbs onto Tiffany and looks her in the face to say it's time to get up.

A white duck with orange feet stands in an outdoor farmyard setting surrounded by dry grass, plants, and a water trough. A chicken with dark feathers on its backside is nearby. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Dot was smaller than the rest of her flock.

She weighs less than a pound. If Tiffany had to sum her up, she would call her "a giant lovable tornado jam-packed down into a tiny feathered dinosaur."

She's a good listener, too. When Tiffany says a few words and pauses, Dot answers with a few clucks. She's as affectionate as a dog.

A white chicken with a red comb and wattles looks to the side against a dark background. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
When Tiffany pauses, Dot answers with a few clucks of her own.

"She's a sweet, caring friend," Tiffany says, and she's glad Dot is here with her and the rest of the flock. Then Dot lets out something close to a crow. "You are not a rooster," Tiffany tells her.