Reva the Revenant: Our Chesapeake Bay Chicken Rescue

Story by By Kathy O’Hara. Reprinted with permission by United Poultry Concerns.

My husband Tom and I have driven across the 23-mile-long Chesapeake Bay Tunnel Bridge in Virginia countless times. But Friday night June 3rd was a sight like no other.We were heading out of the second tunnel when we saw it – white, fluffy, and on the road. A few seconds passed before we realized what “it” was. I can still hear my husband, “Was that a chicken?”

It all happened so fast. I was in tears. Quick! Turn around. Make a U-turn at the first break in the road, drive back through the second tunnel, then the first. Another U-turn through tunnel, road, tunnel!

Our plan: If the chicken was still there and not hit by a car, we’d slow down, turn on the flashers. I’d be ready with a towel, throw open the door, and grab the bird!
There she was, standing just the same, head stretched down and forward toward the oncoming traffic. I grabbed her!

This was not her day to die, and with that thought in mind, I named her Reva, short for “Revenant,” after the movie – a person who has returned from the dead or a long absence.

Now – what to do with a chicken? Heading toward our boat at the marina on the Eastern Shore, we got a box from a liquor store and laid Reva in it with her towel.

I called a friend hoping she knew someone who wanted a chicken. A few minutes later she called back. Turned out an advocacy sanctuary for chickens called United Poultry Concerns was a mere 20 miles up the road on the Eastern Shore!

I left a phone message, and waiting for a call back, I made Reva a makeshift plastic water bowl. To my delight, she took several large gulps and even seemed to splash a bit on her beak. I later learned this was the first time Reva had ever had unlimited access to water.

On Saturday morning, Reva was still alive! A call from Karen Davis at United Poultry Concerns said she would take Reva, and that her sanctuary assistant, Holly Wills, would welcome Reva, Tom and me when we arrived. (Karen was driving to an animal rights event that morning.)

When we got there, Holly had a spot all ready for Reva on the screened porch with a bowl of food, fresh water, and a soft quilt. Holly said Reva probably fell out of the truck taking her to be slaughtered on the Eastern Shore.

Later I spoke with a woman who said she’d seen Reva on the Bridge that Friday afternoon, but didn’t stop. From her account, Reva may have been there for at least 2 hours before we found her.

We left UPC knowing that Reva’s story could not have a happier ending. She beat the odds. The rest of Reva’s life could only be good.

Reva Today

By Karen Davis

Today is Friday, July 29th. Almost 2 months have passed since Reva was saved by Kathy and Tom that fateful Friday evening on the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel Bridge.
She cocked her face in a way that said she wanted me to stroke her throat and her beak. As long as I did that, she stood perfectly still.

But a Saturday morning came when, abruptly, she couldn’t get up. When she tried to stand, her body spun backward and her left leg splayed out and I felt, this time for sure, she’s going to be lame for life. She was very distressed, and so was I.

But a few days later, Reva was once again shakily on her legs trying to walk. This time I decided to put her on Metacam, an anti-inflammatory pain medication prescribed by our veterinarian.

Chickens bred for the meat industry are almost always in chronic pain, overburdened by too much weight for their bones and joints to support. If Reva was in pain, this would cause her to sit all the time, weakening her legs even worse.

The daily dose of Metacam worked wonders for Reva. When I got home from the airport at midnight on July 11th and walked into the kitchen after being at the animal rights conference in Los Angeles for four days, Reva greeted me on her feet! What a homecoming!

Today, Reva not only walks; she gets around well. At times she is almost spry in her jubilation.