Hens adopting wild birds chick?

[jsr5]

Has anyone else ever known hens to adopt a young wild bird? Last couple of days a juvenile bird possibly a black bird or starlingHas been hangind around with the flock . Like scratching around for worms with them this morning and whiule a hen will try to steal a worm from another hen I watched a RIR hen step over to the bird and watch as it got the rest of the worm down been kinda watching all day and finding it hanging out with the flock as they forage. it can fly or at least enough to get to somthing 8 or 9 feet high. but if it is getting behind it will flutter along to catch up then resume pecking about with the hens. Anyone else ever known hens to adopt a not chicken species' chicks and a non chicken species to stay wiht a chicken flock.

 

[pozees2]

No, but it sounds fascinating! Can you get pictures?

 

[jsr5]

yes I will if I ever remember to take my phone out with me in fact said that very thing to my wife this afternoon. And that I"d like to post it here because it is so sweet and amusing.

 

[jsr5]

here he is with my boy RooFus

Here he is literally in RooFus shadow.

The hens tolerate him or just give him no mind at all. Roofus is protective if anything. I have trouble getting pics some times because it spends alot of time up under the coops with the girls that are dust bathing or chillin. Think they hatched in a little hole I didnt get sealed up when I built the coop roof. and three of them fell through onto the roost poop board. I was suprised that the girls hadn't pecked the noisy things to death. some how I think at least this one survived and thinks it's a chicken. It can fly now but rarely does and if so it is mostly fluttering to keep up with the fllock. Curious gonna let it be see how long this lasts.

 

[centrarchid]

Young Starling. Unusual relationship. Rooster would be most likely to show it.