The supermarket egg which hatched

AN ASPIRING nine-year-old farmer who experimented by incubating half a dozen supermarket eggs claims he has hatched a chick.

Miles Orford, from Great Ashfield near Bury St Edmunds, was more than a little surprised after hearing a chirping sound from one of his Cotswold Leg Bar free range eggs.

The eggs were bought in Waitrose, Bury, for the experiment by mum Sarah. She wants to call the new chick Best Before but Miles has decided to name it after his 15-year-old sister Celia.

“I was really surprised,” said Miles. “When I first heard the chirping I didn't think it was going to survive but now it's running about.

“I've always loved chickens, they follow you around and they are always up to something. But I am not squeamish - I like chickens as pets and I eat them.

“But I wouldn't eat my own chickens, especially this one. It's very cute and a lovely brown colour and I have decided to call it Celia after my sister. She seems really pleased - but I am not sure if it is a cockerel or a hen.”

When the Orfords first moved to Great Ashfield they had only three chickens but now Celia will join a flock of almost 40 birds when she is big enough.

Sarah said: “Miles has always been interested in chickens and when we saw an article about a man who had hatched a duck from supermarket eggs we decided to try it.

“I didn't think it would work but I thought free range eggs would give us our best chance. And we had some quail eggs in the incubator but they didn't work.”

A spokeswoman for the British Egg Information Service said: “It is very uncommon because most, if not all, hens are farmed well away from cockerels.

“Even with rare breeds which might be kept in less controlled circumstances this is very unusual.”

A spokeswoman for Waitrose said: “These eggs are from free range hens, and - although an extremely rare occurrence - this hen must have come in contact with a cockerel at some point.”

Nobody from traditional egg producer Clarence Court was available for comment yesterday.