So how about therapy chickens? Jana Clairmont of Polson, Montana, calls her therapy birds - a white rooster and Cornish game hen - 'Fowl Play'.

On Thursday, she took them to visit residents at Polson Health and Rehabilitation Center in northeast Montana, the Missoulian newspaper reported.

Many seniors were raised on farms, Ms Clairmont says, and holding a chicken can bring back memories.

As one man stroked the rooster, Alex, the bird stretched out his neck and rested it across the man's forearm, like a puppy.

Ms Clairmont has arranged visits to retirement and assisted living homes, and says she'd like to take Alex and Carlita, the hen, into classrooms this fall. -- AP