Meet Cha Cha the Chicken

Cha Cha and Lynn Fosbender at Pollen, 2918 N Milwaukee

In the midst of the COVID crisis, comfort and distraction came to one local business owner in an unusual form: a chicken. If you’ve been past Pollen at 2918 N. Milwaukee Ave. lately, you may have noticed a sign in the door that reads: “A CHICKEN?!?!?”  The sign goes on to explain why there is a chicken living just inside Pollen’s doors.

Cha Cha the chicken was adopted by Pollen’s owner, Lynn Fosbender, in the hours just before shelter-in-place was declared for Illinois. A small flock of three chickens resides in Pollen’s rear garden, and before Cha Cha can join her new coopmates, she needs to be quarantined to make sure she doesn’t have any diseases that could be passed on to the rest of the flock. Because Pollen is primarily a wedding florist, with both weddings and in-person meetings postponed during shelter-in-place, the floral design studio was an ideal spot for Cha Cha to spend her quarantine. 

It quickly became clear that Cha Cha is quite the character. Her very first night in her new home, she revealed that she enjoys being petted by purring. In the following days, she took to jumping in Lynn’s lap while she typed away at her keyboard. Lynn and Cha Cha are happily keeping each other company in their shared isolation. Cha Cha will be slowly introduced to her flock over the coming weeks and transition from being a lap chicken to a backyard chicken.

— Lynn Fosbender, April 2, 2020