i once did a chicken leg amputation myself, the bird lived several years after, and the total cost was nothing (unless you include the pliers). my chicken didnt get depressed, it was back to normal in a week, and the cat who's fault it was died shorty after from a gunshot wound to the head. it doesnt matter how many you get they still come back for more, we once got a dozen on a morning before school.
i had to kill a chicken i raised from 1 day old, it used to sit on my shoulder when i did home work or watched tv, then one day it caught newcastle disease and i had to break its neck and burn it. thats the harsh reality of animal husbandry, you dont go spending a fortune on a chicken, you kill it and get another one.