Many thanks!! From its behavior and general looks I suspected it was some type of pheasant other than a melanistic. Hopefully a female--but the ring-neck will have a happy home here regardless :)
First photo: the bird in question is upper left; the other 4 birds are the melanistic mutant pheasants.
Second photo: the bird in question is bottom left; the bird directly above it and the 4th bird at upper right are both melanistic mutant pheasants; the bird between the 2 pheasants is Cream...
What is this?? 6-7-2024 at Rural King I bought 5 melanistic mutant pheasant chicks (along with 3 Cream Legbar, 1 Barnevelder, 1 Salmon Favorelle, and 2 turkeys – all are now still in my brooder coop together). There were about 45 pheasant chicks in the tub. All pheasants looked same size...
Putting an emu chick outside without a father at 4 days is not natural either--natural is a father role for 12 to 18 months before they are independent.
Neither are skunks, raccoons, nor macaws domesticated as a species; but like many other non-domesticated species, individuals will typically turn out the way they were raised. Of course an emu outside from day 4 isn't remotely domesticated, and like a wild bird or wild raccoon wouldn't react...
I'd like to add one heavy goose to my chicken flock this year, preferably an African gander gosling. I only want one, so mail order is difficult because of minimums. I'm in the Fishers Indiana area, hoping to find one close enough to pick up. Thanks!