Broody Jack Russell mothers two newborn rhea chicks

By Sarah Ward via SWNS

This broody Jack Russell terrier has befriended two newborn rhea chicks.

Seven-year-old Ivy keeps a watchful eye over one-week-old rheas, at Arnbeg Farmstay, Kippen, near Stirling, Scotland, where the trio live.

Owner Ali Thom, 57, has more than 100 animals and described it as 'like Old MacDonald's farm'.

Ivy has bonded with other animals before.

The rheas hatched under a heat lamp and will be moved into a hutch in about a month.

Ali said: "They hatched under a heat lamp, if I put them out in the barn they would be prey for predators.

"They will grow to about 5ft, like a small ostrich. They aren't 'house rheas'.

"They will be here for about four weeks. We are getting a pen set up for them so we can keep an eye on them.

"Ivy has bonded with lambs before, she's very maternal. She just watches over them.

"They don't cuddle. Ivy sits with them. They are quite noisy birds, they can be quite nervous but they don't mind Ivy.

"She will go in the pen and we can trust her. She's a wee cutie. They pull at her hair and her face and she tolerates that.

"We have alpacas, sheep, pigs, dogs, goats, Highland Cows. It's like Old MacDonald's farm."

Rheas, also known as ñandus or South American ostrich, are moderately-sized South American ratites of the order Rheiformes.

They are distantly related to the African ostriches and Australia’s emu, with rheas placing just behind the emu in height and overall size.

Similarly to ostriches and emus, rheas are fairly popular livestock and pets, regularly kept and bred on farms, ranches, private parks and by aviculturists, mainly in North and South America, and Europe.