A turkey is raising a chicken at the Staglands Wildlife Reserve in Upper Hutt in the Akatarawa Valley.
The turkey with its 'chick'. Photo: Staglands Wildlife Reserve
Staglands offers visitors an interactive experience amongst the many friendly animals of the Akatarawa Valley that call it home.
Staglands ranger Chris Martin said the turkey is very sociable to people but also somewhat protective of what it considers to be its offspring.
He said three months ago one of their Plymouth Barred Rock chickens was laying in a nesting box at the same time as a Bronze turkey was also laying some eggs in the hay.
"Now the chicken laid an egg which didn't quite pop into her nest, it actually fell out and ended up in the turkey's nest.
"The only egg that that turkey successfully hatched out was that chicken egg."
He said the turkey has been mother to that chicken which is now about seven weeks old since day one.
"The turkey follows it around everywhere, the peacocks have come to say hi and the turkey won't have a bar of it."
Martin said the other day he noticed the chicken "riding shotgun" on the turkey's back.
Photo: Staglands Wildlife Reserve