tweet LinkedIn print Watch KARE 11’s story about Creamy! Creamy the hen fell on hard times after losing her infantry this past winter. Thanks to her love owners and the Makerspace at the Bio-Medical library, she has a new foot and a opportunity for a happy and healthier life !
Meet Creamy
Creamy is a 3-year-old Buff Laced Polish hen. She knows her name and comes when she is called. People may think of chickens as livestock, but many live as beloved pets. That is why her owners, Melissa and Alex Jokela ( both employed at the University ), embarked on a journey to find her a prosthetic foot that could improve her quality of biography .
Hard times
It was one of those extremely cold, subzero temperature days in January 2018. When the Jokelas went into the chicken coop to do an evening head count before locking the chickens in for the night, they noticed something was wrong with Creamy.
Creamy ’ s absolute darling place to hang out was a blemish on top of a four-foot-high fence rail, underneath a wind chime that hangs from the cage. “ On that cold day in January, as the day wound gloomy, Creamy hopped up to her previous roost spot on the argue. unfortunately, sitting on the fence probably left her feet not wholly tucked up and under her underfeathers, ” Melissa Jokela explained. Creamy lost her right foot due to frostbite. The Jokelas decided to remove her from the cage and into their house to keep Creamy safe, providing supervised spare scope time outside. While Creamy was kept safe and could hop around on one foot after she recovered, the missing foot was having a negative impact on her health. In addition to increasing her susceptibility to hawks in the area, it besides made her a target to get bullied by the rest of the troop — as her restrict mobility took her down a notch on the peck order .
Makerspace to the rescue!
In hopes of creating the best possible solution, Jokelas obtained and customized a design for a 3D printed prosthetic chicken foot. “ We found an article in a University of Calgary newsletter that featured a student named Doug Kondro who had developed feet for a cock named Foghorn, ” said Melissa Jokela. They were able to use Kondro ’ s designs for a small fee and an agreement to not plowshare the original 3D impression files. now the Jokelas good needed access to a 3D printer. “ Peg Sherven, my colleague, listen about my printing issues and wondered if the Makerspace would be able to help, ” said Melissa Jokela. Sherven, who is the Academic Technology Coordinator at the Academic Health Center, then put the Jokelas in touch with Jonathan Koffel and Rami Jubara, who oversee the University Libraries ’ Bio-Medical Library Makerspace. This introduction started a collaboration that would lead to a fresh foot for Creamy. “ Alex would do all the design and modifications to the file, ” said Jubara. “ My role for this particular project was to adjust the size percentages of the design then that the foot would fit properly. ” Makerspace users typically print their 3D printed projects themselves, receiving support from Makerspace volunteers and staff to facilitate hands-on memorize. For this unique project, Jubara offered his expertness on scaling the prosthetic foot designs and printed each interpretation to help the Jokelas find the perfect fit for Creamy.
Read more: Tips, Tricks & Recipes for Quail Eggs
A happy ending
One of the greatest things about 3D print is the potential to develop highly customized, cheap prostheses to improve the timbre of life for patients — both human and animal. While it took a few tries to get the perfect equip, Creamy is nowadays enjoying her newfangled foot. She can live a much more active life, thanks to the efforts of the Jokela ’ south, Kondro ’ south designs, and the expertness and tools available at the Libraries ’ Makerspace in the Bio-Medical Library. We are felicitous that the Libraries have been part of Creamy ’ s travel .
