A Stansted turkey has adopted a duckling and peachick after keeping the eggs warm before hatching.

Doris the turkey, who lives at Mountfitchet Castle, hatched the baby birds this week.

She warmed to them and is looking after them as their surrogate mother.

A Mountfitchet Castle spokesperson said Doris and her two baby birds are doing well.

They said: "All are blissfully unaware they are a strange mix and wander happily around the castle grounds together."

Mountfitchet Castle is home to a number of chickens, turkeys, peacocks and ducks.

In 2013, one of its cockerels was named the tallest in the world. The 2ft bird, Little John, was reportedly reared on popcorn.

In 2017, The Apprentice hopeful Elizabeth McKenna was filmed shoo-ing away Mountfitchet Castle's impressive fowl collection in what was named one of the show's "Best Bits".

Series 13 team Graphene mistakenly booked Mountfitchet Castle to stage a car advertisement, assuming the model village was a picture-perfect English idyll.

To find out more about Mountfitchet Castle, 'cluck' here.