Three month old chick adopting a four day old chick

[Celestx]

Hello everyone I'm just curious to know if you've ever seen a chick adopt another chick. I have three Rhode Island Red chicks (three months old) hand raised since they were a week old. One of my Rhode Island Red's has supposedly adopted my four day old silkie chick which is weird because she's not broody and isn't even an adult yet.

My silkie chick runs under the wing of my Rhode Island Red chick, and the Rhode Island Red hen sits down and keeps the chick warm... weird right? I'm dead serious. I was shocked too. I have a heat lamp that my chick can stay in but I wanted to put my Rhode islands together with my silkie. The Rhode island doesn't ever care that the chick goes under her she doesn't peck it and she sits on the chick to keep it warm. Is this weird?

Please let me know!

Thanks! Celeste.

 

[SueT]

Hi Celeste and welcome to BYC!!! That's very good that there was no animosity twd the chick! Often adding newcomers doesn't have such a happy beginning! What about the other 2 RIR's? Are they fine with the chick too? Keep an eye on them and make sure...Good luck....oh and be sure to check out the Learning Center...

 

[Celestx]

Hi Celeste and welcome to BYC!!! That's very good that there was no animosity twd the chick! Often adding newcomers doesn't have such a happy beginning! What about the other 2 RIR's? Are they fine with the chick too? Keep an eye on them and make sure...Good luck....oh and be sure to check out the Learning Center...

Thanks! I know I'm so happy, I was surprised because she herself is a young hen, the other two RIR's are fine with the chick and don't peck her, I have made sure. I will check out the learning centre! <3

 

[azygous]

I have been on BYC for a long time, and have seen a few stories of chicks "adopting" younger chicks, but generally when Silkies are involved, they're the ones doing the adopting.

In these instances where an older chick takes another chick under its wing (there are those chicken metaphors again) it's not so much that the larger chick is adopting or befriending the smaller chick, but that very new chicks have an instinct to want to scoot under other chickens and the older chick is merely tolerating this.

It surely beats conflict though.