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Blue the Chicken Fitted with New 3D Printed Leg

HUGHESVILLE, Pa.  — A one-legged chicken is back walking on two feet, and it’s all thanks to students in Lycoming County. Nearly a year old, this bl...

HUGHESVILLE, Pa.  -- A one-legged chicken is back walking on two feet, and it's all thanks to students in Lycoming County.

Nearly a year old, this blue silkie chicken, appropriately named Blue, is back on two feet, thanks to her new blue 3D printed prosthetic leg.

Students from East Lycoming School District helped design it.

Last fall, a raccoon broke into the chicken coop outside Briannah Miller's home near Montoursville. Several chickens died. Blue survived but was injured.

"I know she's just out here trying to have a normal chicken life and then she lost a leg so, working on it," said Briannah.

The eighth grader and a few of her classmates did work on it. With help from teacher Brandi Dillon, students in Dillon's STEM class used the design tool Tinkercad and a 3D printer to create their own designs for Blue.

"It was a piece of all four of those students that we kind of combined each of their ideas and that's what actually ended up working," Dillon said.

Nearly a dozen tries later and now Blue has a functioning prosthetic leg.

"It's really amazing. It's cool technology," said Briannah's mom Angela Miller.

Miller stopped by the school with Blue so these students could see their work in action.

"When it walked, it hopped a lot, but it was moving its foot a little bit. I don't think it's adjusted to it yet. It's pretty neat how it was able to stay stable and walk," said eighth grader Mason Hoppes.

"I thought it was amazing just knowing that what I did was able to help something," said eighth grader Trynaty Gehr.

As for Briannah, she's glad to have her friend back and feeling better.

"She's different from all the chickens and I feel like I'm different than a lot of the people in my grade, so I just, we are all trying to fit in, so I feel like we are pretty close."

The school hopes to continue making adjustments to Blue's new leg.

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