Clarice Cluckerson

Clarice Cluckerson’s story began in the summer of 2022 when FPAS was contacted about a stray hen living in an unlikely place—a small thicket of trees sandwiched between two large retail stores in the city of Tallahassee. It was far from an ideal home for any animal, let alone a chicken. For over a month, this resilient little white hen had been surviving on her own, roosting high in a tree at night for safety. She was being fed and looked after by a kind lady, who worried for her well-being. Then she found FPAS and reached out for help.

The finder, who had lovingly named the hen Clarice Cluckerson, offered to assist in the rescue in any way she could. Although Clarice would come up for food, she wasn’t handleable and always kept her distance. Emily took on the challenge and together they spent hours trying to coax Clarice into a dog crate with food, only to discover that this clever hen was much too smart for their tricks. Even after Serena and Skye joined the effort, making it four humans trying to encourage Clarice into the crate, she continued to outsmart them. The thicket was full of thorny vines, making it difficult and painful for anyone to maneuver, except it posed no problem for an agile little chicken like Clarice.

While there was urgency to get her out of the middle of town, it soon became clear that gaining her trust would take more time. For the next couple of weeks, her dedicated finder continued to befriend her with daily snacks, and eventually, with patience and persistence, she and Emily were able to crate Clarice and bring her safely to FPAS.

Clarice now lives in the Ever After Aviary with her feathered friends, where she never has to worry about being anyone’s dinner. She has continued to gain confidence around humans and is truly living the good life. This rescue, filled with literal blood, sweat, and tears, has a happy ending thanks to compassion, kindness and determination.