The Unusual Babysitters

I’ve seen a lot of animal love and unusual situations in the decades that I’ve been caring for and rescuing animals. I’ve experienced some really strange things, such as the time a cooper hawk hooked itself onto a rooster thinking he could consume something his size – right inside the chicken coop.  Luckily, this happened just as I was feeding and I was there, but I had to wrangle him off that poor rooster – eventually saving the rooster and the hawk.  Later I walked that hungry hawk back out to the forest.

I’ve also seen some unique love relationships that break the species barrier – such as the peacock I wrote about earlier in this blog, who befriended Hope, a little disabled duckling in “Francis and Hope” – or the protective love connection between a turkey and chicken –  Thelma and Beauty –  but this newest friendship species barrier is a first.

My newest baby chicks, Mattie and Mosey are only a couple of months old and small enough to be picked on and pushed aside by the bigger chickens.  That old pecking order situation is unavoidable, as much as I would like to see it end – it is something we chicken moms have to deal with.  I feed in separate areas to work through it, and mostly it allows all of them to eat undisturbed.

But the strangest thing happened when I was feeding a few weeks ago, the baby chicks were being protected by an unlikely friend.  Andy the sheep.  When they felt they wanted to escape the rush of all of the others getting to the “new” food – they merely jumped onto Andy’s back.  And, obligingly, Andy babysat them for as long as they need a ride, walking slowly with his head down low in an effort to keep them from falling.

Since then, Bitsy – my sweet ewe – has joined the babysitters club.  She has become more of a friend to them than Andy originally was.  She seeks them out.  Just these two chicks, mind you – not any of the others.  And they seek her out when they get chilled, or want some companionship.

If Bitsy is in a field they’ve never been in – they venture out with her, their safety net and stay as close as possible.

The funniest and most unusual thing about this relationship is the love that you see radiating from all of them.  Bitsy will sometimes lay down to encourage their visits.  And when they’re all in the same area, she looks over them, letting her presence be known in case she is needed.  She has even nudged them to get them to an area she wants them to be in a motherly fashion.

You may think I’m nuts – but I’ve lived with Bitsy, Joey and Andy for more than seven years – I know them.  Bitsy is usually so aloof and could usually care less about anyone but her sheep buds – to see her take such an interest in baby chickens is, well, for lack of another word – heartwarming.

I’m very curious to find out if this ‘love, babysitting’ relationship continues after Mattie and Mosey have grown.  It’s fun and adorable –  and I’d be thrilled if it did.