Meech Davignon of Escondido, California, took the opportunity to adopt a disabled chicken. Her social media following grew to love him so much that they sent over 60 pairs of little shoes and boots.
Davignon began fondly calling her new chicken “Nubz” after his short toes. In return for her loving attention, her chicken proves to be charismatic by “ruling the roost” amongst her other animals. Davignon is a big animal lover who owns dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and 11 other chickens.
Throughout her time with Nubz, Davignon learned he had difficulty moving around on hard surfaces. Wood chips and pavement made it harder for the chicken to wander freely. Luckily, Davignon remembered she had a pair of tiny slippers that one of her dogs never used. She slipped it on Nubz, and as time passed, he grew more comfortable in his little shoes.
“As he got more comfortable wearing his little shoes, I’d leave them on longer each time,” Davignon told the Washington Post. “Pretty soon, he was getting around a lot better than he did without them because they were great little mobility devices. I’d let him wear them to walk on wood chips and anything else that was rough on his feet.”
How did the chicken lose its toes in the first place?
The Malaysian Serama breed chicken lost its toes due to leg scale mites. These pesky mites are a impairing arachnoid parasite. They are tiny microscopic bugs that dig under chickens’ scales of their lower legs and feet. According to research, they can also travel from bird to bird, so if one is infected, then there is a high chance the other is as well.
Luckily, Davignon spotted the mites early before her other chickens got infected. She had to suffocate them using Vaseline and cotton wool by changing them three times a day. Sooner than later, she nursed him back to health.
Nubz goes viral on TikTok
In January of 2023, Davignon celebrated her one-year anniversary by opening a TikTok account for Nubz. She posted various videos of him walking around in his little slippers, which received an enormous amount of attention.
Soon, her videos created a viral storm of interest in the chicken. Many fans commented and asked if it were okay to send Nubz more shoes.
“They’ve been a great blessing-it’s surreal to have so many people love my tiny little chicken,” said Davignon.
Many packages soon arrived by the dozen. Soon, Nubz had an entire wardrobe full of shoes to pick from. Some included Sunday shoes, blue suede shoes, dinosaur claw boots, sandals, and more.
Davignon has been public about Nubz’s journey, with consistent updates and new videos of him posted on her social media. She has shown him getting around in his wheelchair and conveying his health care. People online were moved by Nubz’s strength and did not hesitate to send more shoes for his collection.
Nubz was sent over 60 pairs of shoes ranging from bright yellow sandals and purple crocs to Converse sneakers. “I haven’t counted his shoes in months and thought it was more like 30”, Davignon said. “I haven’t had to buy him a single pair because people keep sending them.” Despite the wide variety of shoes, Nubz has access to, it seems like his favorite is a pair of dark blue shoes that look like Ugg boots.
“He’s pretty fast in those,” Davignon admits, “and he really seems to enjoy wearing them.” Overall, Davignon is grateful to hear about the joy her little chicken has brought to people online. She expresses her gratitude towards the fans who have sent Nubz gifts and even pitched in for his hospital bills. With so many pairs of new shoes, Nubz is not only thriving but is also the most fashionable chicken TikTok has ever seen.
