Tulip (centre) is an extremely rare chicken-guinea fowl hybrid with four wings. The bird, known as a guin is pictured here with her parents - a mother hen and a male guinea fowl They say you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch, but a bizarre bird with four wings has left one grandmother completely baffled.
The extremely rare chicken-guinea fowl hybrid, which is called a guin, was born on Lyn Newman's smallholding.
Lyn, 59, raises a number of fowl in Defford, Worcestershire, but she was astonished when one of her eggs hatched into an odd looking bird even she couldn't identify.
The tiny bird was covered in clumps of feathers and - most strangely of all - had four wings.
Lyn, a retired social care worker had to trawl the internet before she realised that the bizarre bird was a hybrid.
A rogue guinea had mated with one of her hens - and the result was this ugly chick - who has since been named Tulip.
The four wings are a result of a genetic mutation because of the cross-species breeding.
Lyn said: 'I was just shocked when I saw that this thing that hatched had four wings.
'I couldn't believe my eyes. I had no idea what it was until I did some digging around on the internet.
'As well as having extra wings, the bird is also much smaller and is a totally different shape.
'I was shocked when I found out it was a cross between a guinea and a chicken - you just don't expect it. Apparently the cross is very rare.
'But she's settling in really well, and doesn't seem to realise that she's different from all the other chicks.
Tulip hitches a ride in a wheelbarrow belonging to Lyn Newman's granddaughter Nicole Turner'She's an odd looking bird, and apparently extremely rare. I had no idea that guineas could actually breed with chickens.
'I've seen a guinea flying around, so probably soon we'll be overrun with these weird looking birds.
'She's a real character and is one of the gang. I'm thinking of selling her at auction, as apparently guinea-chicken crosses are very rare and also infertile.
'I'm sure that she will find a very loving home, and that people won't be put off by her four wings.'
Sharon Boundy who runs UK Guinea Fowl said that the hybrid bird sounded like a freak of nature with its four wings.
She said : 'It is very rare for chickens and guinea fowl to breed. I've only known of one other guinea-chick in my many years in the business.
'It's especially unusual for them to have four wings though - I've never heard of anything like it.
'It's not dangerous for the two species to breed but they don't tend to go near each other.
'But obviously a guinea fowl just fancied a chicken for a change. Crosses between species can be very odd looking, and this seems to be no exception.'
source: dailymail
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