Sid Lyders, of Cromwell, said when Bumper was first born the family quickly realised there was something different about her.
"She had no instinct to stay with her mum, so she’d just wander off."
The family took it on themselves to look after the newly born chick, keeping her separate from the others and bringing her inside at night.
Bumper got her name from the bump on the top of her head. A vet believes a rare condition left part of her brain unprotected by an incomplete skull.
To the Lyders family, Bumper is just like any other pet. She enjoys hanging out with the family. Emily, 11, plays with Bumper, who became the girl’s "best wee mate".
One evening in late September, Mrs Lyders went outside to bring Bumper in for the night and realised she had likely been pecked right in the middle of her exposed head by another of the family’s 30 chickens who had escaped.
The family did not expect Bumper to survive the night as she could not lift her head.
When she did make it through till morning, the family decided to take Bumper to the vet to see what they could do to help her, Mrs Lyders said.
"If it was a dog or a cat, you wouldn’t hesitate to seek some care."
After round-the-clock care from the vet, Bumper began to get better before finally being able to return home earlier this month.
The family spent a few hundred dollars on Bumper’s care and Mrs Lyders said was worth it.
Bumper’s expected lifespan was shorter than the average chicken but the family felt it was not quite Bumper’s time just because of a peck to the head, she said.
"We would understand if her health deteriorated, but it just felt a wrong way for her to go, you know."
Despite her condition, Bumper lived a somewhat normal life, sunbathing and even laying eggs occasionally.
"Her favourite thing to do was chase the sparrows away ... She is just a wee character."
Mr Lyders joked about how cats had nine lives and if the same were true for Bumper she had already used a few during her adventures.
