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The little hen that could

Hope resident Marie Barber was pleasantly surprised when her Barred Rock hen laid a large egg with another egg inside
17573hopeBackyardChickenStory
Hope resident Marie Barber was pleasantly surprised when her Barred Rock hen laid a large egg with another egg inside.

A charming little hen in the town of Hope, woke up one morning and decided to do something extraordinary — she said to herself, it’s time to lay an egg, but not just any egg and that’s exactly what she did.

The spotted black and white Barred Rock hen did something stupefying, even mystical — she laid one large egg, with another egg inside, much to her owner’s surprise, amazement and delight.

“She’s only six months old, and I think she laid one more like it — I have it set aside, but I don’t want to break it,” Marie Barber, (backyard chicken keeper) told The Hope Standard.

The little hen has already received attention from the BC Egg Marketing Board, (who have never heard of this happening before) and Barber is looking forward to discussing her little feathered inspiration.

“I’ve never seen it before — two eggs at once. I had company over and I brought it in and it’s just amazing — I can’t believe it.”

Barber has had backyard chickens, long before it was trendy, and she’s been raising them with her family for well over twenty years. She suggested the high quality of her gorgeous looking eggs is partly due to a combination of an oyster shell diet and layer pellet.

“It’s great to have fresh eggs for baking and they’re good quality — they are nice and thick and have an orange-yellow colour,” she said. “It’s so nice to be baking and not have to run to the store for more eggs.

The eggs which are large and have a brown hued shell are something to be commented on, as Barber proudly showed the two yolked egg and its twin to The Hope Standard.

Barber used to have a miniature donkey on her acreage — it was given a straw hat with a hole for ears, which she often showcased for amused bystanders. Of her extraordinary animal companions, there were two others that were mentioned.

“I had a cow named Sally and one named Wilma – it’s so nice to have animals around and people to enjoy them.”