Therapy chickens bring joy to those who need it the most

    DALLAS (KTVT) -- Three therapy chickens – named Donut, Pancake and Croissant – deliver smiles at Signature Pointe Senior Living Center in Dallas.

Donut, Pancake and Croissant are part of Healing Hens, a nonprofit organization that provides hens and coops to nursing homes and assisted living facilities

"Mostly, they bring joy to people in maybe a not great situation," said Blair Freshwater, the executive director at Signature Pointe.

At first, she was skeptical. Now, she's a believer.

"I've noticed just the sight of them, the sound of them, how they feel, they really do bring peace and calm and they really do help to bring down anxiety," said Freshwater.

The girls' job is to help people get better – inside and out.

"In our short-term rehab especially, these people have been in the hospital; they're here to recover and go home. So the chickens are a part of that recovery and joy to a hard situation," said Freshwater.

Kris Muenster founded Healing Hens in 2023 after some therapy of her own.

"I really can't tell you how soothing it was to just sit in the coop after work for 30 minutes and spend time with them, just watching them. It forces you to be very mindful and it's very stress relieving for me," said Muenster.

She said she hopes hens find their way into more senior homes and maybe one day in other homes.

"It just lights me up to them light up. You know these residents are just out of the hospital, trying to rehab and go home. And when I stroll in with three chickens and their face just lights up it's so rewarding," said Freshwater.

Healing Hens can provide these chickens to senior facilities free of charge through donations.