A video of a horse and a chicken standing side by side has gone viral on TikTok, amassing over 577,000 views.

The clip tells the touching story of how the pair formed an unexpected bond after tragedy struck. According to their owner, Rebecka Walters (@rebecka_walters), the chicken lost her entire family to coyotes. “So she wasn’t alone,” Walters moved the bird into the barn.

At first, Walters feared the chicken might not survive—describing her as lethargic and depressed. But soon, Walters noticed something remarkable: the black-and-white horse named Journey began to snuggle next to the chicken as he ate. Walters says the two are now “inseparable,” and the bird frequently perches on Journey’s back.

The average horse stands at about 1.4 to 1.8 meters in height, according to Horse and Country, while the average chicken reaches roughly 27.6 inches in height, states The Humane League.

Despite their differences, “the chicken has now found her safe place,” Walters explains, adding that Journey is “so gentle around her.”

“All I can think is why can’t humans be more like animals,” Walters reflects at the end of the video. Viewers quickly echoed her sentiment.

“Your chicken has an emotional support horse,” one user wrote. Another commented, “Sometimes you just need to know someone cares and have that closeness, if we could all be like animals the world would be such a better place.”

In the comments section, Walters offered an encouraging update: “She actually is thriving right now in the barn, exploring, eating and drinking great, even laying eggs. I want to get some young chickens soon that she can look after and have a job.”

The pair’s friendship is all the more striking given their dramatic difference in size.

Why Horses and Chickens Make Good Barnmates

According to Nutrena Animal Feeds Home, keeping chickens alongside horses is a long-standing practice that can be both manageable and surprisingly beneficial—for owners and their horses.

• Efficient Clean-Up Crew: Chickens are natural opportunists. Whenever a pellet or grain kernel drops, they quickly snap it up, reducing feed waste and sparing horses from rooting in the dirt or sand.
• Great for Training: Horses that spend time around poultry become accustomed to sudden movements, unexpected noises and even the occasional stray egg—helping prevent spooking and fostering a calmer animal.
• Trail-Ride Preparation: Chickens’ flapping, squawking and scurrying desensitize horses to the sights and sounds of wild fowl, preparing them for trail rides where turkeys or other birds may appear.
• Natural Pest Control: Chickens act as nature’s fly traps, eating flies, worms, grubs and even bees—cutting down on pests that can bother both horse and rider.

Despite their obvious differences—or perhaps because of them—this horse and chicken show that companionship can flourish in the most unexpected ways.

Newsweek reached out to @rebecka_walters for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.