ducklings

After losing her baby chicks, this mother hen has taken in seven little critters into her care: 5 ducklings and 2 Totenko Fowl chicks. This mama has her work cut out for her! 

Protective and caring, this mother hen is turning out to be the best mother these other little critters could've ever hoped for! 

Don't believe us? Watch how these chicken dotes on the ducklings and how the ducklings flock to her -- instead of their actual birth mother. 

Maternal instinct comes to naturally this caring chicken. 

You've probably heard the phrase, "lucky duck," and in this case, these ducklings really are quite lucky! Terry Hill and Cathy Hogg, who both run the New Forest Home Care Companions in Fordingbridge, heard a mother duck crying and sprung straight into action! 

Mr Hill told BBC News, "Every year there's a duck that nests in the neighbor's garden and every year they come down the road to a stream in our garden but there are also two drains outside. Usually we put cardboard over the drain to stop them falling down but this year we missed it. We took up the two manhole covers and used a hanging basket to get two out. The mother wouldn't leave and stayed there until we got them all. Initially she was alarmed but then she realized were trying to help her."

Thank you Mr Hill and Mrs Hogg's for your quick response! Watch the video below:

Little ducklings follow mama duck... off the deck?!

Aw, we love Patty Cakes!

Even with the realistic, reassuring quacking sounds coming from his mobile phone, it took Louisiana firefighter Cody Knecht about 90 minutes to catch the first four baby mallards in the south-east Louisiana community of Slidell. Chad Duffaut of St Tammany Fire District said Mr Knecht rescued the two others.

After giving them about an hour to calm down, all six ducklings were reunited with their mother in the canal behind a home, where people first reported seeing the babies go into the drain.

Even with the realistic, reassuring quacking sounds coming from his mobile phone, it took Louisiana firefighter Cody Knecht about 90 minutes to catch the first four baby mallards in the south-east Louisiana community of Slidell. Chad Duffaut of St Tammany Fire District said Mr Knecht rescued the two others. After giving them about an hour to calm down, all six ducklings were reunited with their mother in the canal behind a home, where people first reported seeing the babies go into the drain.