Miley Cyrus Honored By PETA Over Chicken Treatment

Miley Cyrus scored big at the box office this weekend with "Hannah Montana The Movie" and now she's scoring more points with the folks at peta2 — the youth division of PETA — who have honored the actress with a Compassionate Citizen Award.

As it turns out, the tween queen had a soft spot for the chickens on the set of her new movie.

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Miley reportedly became so attached to one of the chickens that she took the bird home with her —and sent several others home with her mother. Miley reportedly felt sorry for the chickens because "they were sad to be working." 

"Miley's heart is as big as her smile," says Dan Shannon, PETA's assistant director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns. "We hope that her act of compassion will inspire her fans to be kind to animals too."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Miley Cyrus Brings 'Hannah' To Access!

It's quite a compliment coming from the animal rights organization, which is usually quick to bash celebrities' non animal-friendly habits — such as fur ensembles — including most recently Madonna, who topped PETA's 2009 Worst Dressed List. 

And this isn't the first time Miley has stepped up to help animals. Last year, she found a lost dog in her neighborhood and stayed with the pooch until it was reunited with its owner. 

Later this month, Miley will receive a framed certificate and a card signed by PETA staffers to acknowledge her Compassionate Citizen Award.

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