A farmer in Queensland, Australia, has found a seriously unusual egg laid from a normal hen…
Not only is the egg abnormally huge, but it was also found to have something out of the ordinary inside it – another whole egg.
The interesting find was discovered by owner Scott Stockman at Stockman’s Eggs who posted pictures of the enormous egg on the company’s Facebook page. The caption reads: “One of our Free Range Girls has been working overtime. Check out this whopper! The average egg weighs around 58gms and this beauty came in at 176gms!!!”
Mr Stockman told ABC News that the egg, weighing 176g, is more similar in size to a goose egg than a chicken’s.
The scientific name of an egg within an egg is called a counter-peristalsis contraction. This occurs when an egg prematurely moves towards the ‘vent’, but before it’s laid, goes back inside the chicken’s reproductive system.
When this egg returns, another forms around it. However, it is extremely rare that two fully formed eggs, one inside the other, are incubated together and laid.
The phenomenon has got a lot of people confused online and has even stumped a professor of veterinary science…
Associate Professor Raf Freire, from Charles Sturt University’s veterinary sciences school, told ABC: “Biologically, I’m struggling to understand why that smaller egg never dropped out, it’s very odd.”
Professor Freire added that it’s not uncommon for hens to retain eggs, especially if stressed, but they usually drop out the next day.
How strange! Have you ever come across such an egg?
