Adorable photos of an unusual friendship - Cross Beak the chick finds comfort with Derbyshire family's pet bulldog

Little chick Cross Beak likes nothing better than to perch on the big furry head of ten-year-old Bullseye.

And if he’s not roosting there, the Polish chicken sits parrot-like on the shoulder of the man of the house.

Cross Beak melted the hearts of the Bowman family when they went to collect chicks from a breeder in Stanfree, near Bolsover, where they live.

Portia Bowman, 29, said: “We weren't going to have him because we had picked other chicks. But it turned out that his beak hadn’t formed properly so the top and bottom is crossed. We felt sorry for him and wanted to give him a chance.”

Cross Beak had to be fed by hand at first by Portia’s husband Terry, 35, before he was able to eat chick crumb from a high tray unaided.

The little chick struck up a friendship with Bullseye when he started coming out of his cage in the kitchen for food. Portia said: “He took a shine to our dog.

“Cross Beak jumps onto Bullseye’s bed and tends to sit on his head and get comfy. I don’t know whether it's because he's warm and it's a comfort but when they are together Cross Beak is a bit more settled. Bullseye is really quiet when the chicken is on his head. He’s a big soft dog.

"If Bullseye is snoozing, Cross Beak will sit on his head for quite a while. If Bullseye is fidgeting the chicken keeps trying to get back on his head.

"He’s a cheeky bird who jumps around and likes to sit on your shoulder –his favourite shoulder is Terry’s!”

The couple, who live at East Avenue, have four daughters and a son – Destanie, who is 10, Sapphire 9, Raiden, 4, and one-year-old twin girls Marvel and Raven.

Portia said: “The children love Cross Beak. I think he will be a permanent house pet. If he goes with our other chickens outside, they might possibly bully him because he’s smaller,

"He’s only eight weeks old and it’s hard to tell whether he’s a boy or a girl at the moment. We should find out within the next couple of weeks when he forms more feathers.”

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