It’s all very fascinating, the relationships that exists between the birds in our poultry area and in particular, the relationships between ‘mothers’ and their hatchlings. The photo shows our ‘chickling’ and his/her 2 duckling siblings. This chick hatched under a duck and so the duck (Pear) is the mum and despite the fact there are 15 other chicks running around just now, this chick is very much part of the whole duck family. As such, it stays out much later each night (ducks stay out till dusk has really set in whilst chickens go inside earlier), it spends far more time hanging around muddy puddles than is usual and not a lot of time scratching at the ground!! On the other hand it does the usual 'chick' thing of climbing on mum’s (or in this case its siblings’) backs AND what’s more, the ducklings allow it!!
Across the paddock we have our four turkey poults and one chick being brought up by a chicken and a turkey (Victoria) who are often apart from each other, each with their own young. Now, we NEVER, see the chick with Victoria on its own, it is either with the chicken (our Brahma cross) or with both ‘mums’. One of the yellow turkey poults is often to be found with the chicken but the other three are always with Victoria! Here it seems as though species recognition is in evidence BUT only because there is a choice probably. Our chickling has only ever had Pear the duck as its mum of course!
And as for Queenie and Queenie Baby Pale, well they are pretty much always together as one big happy family of 17 and we are happy to report that all 15 chicks are doing really well!!!