Eggs can range from small to jumbo, with even the largest usually topping out at about 2.75 ounces. Every once in a while, though, a chicken will lay one that’s unusually bigger.
On March 8th, local farmer Shane Brown found that one of his chickens had laid one such anomaly: an egg weighing 3.75 ounces, which is much larger than a normal jumbo egg.
“I have never seen one this big in my life, other than from a species of bird that is not a chicken,” Brown said.
How does an egg get this big?
A hen typically produces an egg every 25 to 27 hours, with each new ovulation beginning shortly after the previous egg is laid. Occasionally, something disrupts this cycle. One of the most common explanations for oversized eggs is a double-yolk. This happens when a hen releases two yolks in quick succession, and both become encased within a single shell.
Other factors can influence egg size as well. A hen’s age plays a role, with older or second-year hens often laying fewer eggs overall, but slightly larger ones. The chicken’s diet can also affect size, especially if it has a higher protein intake, though that is less likely in well-balanced flocks.
In this case, it may have been due to timing. Brown’s chickens are currently in moulting season, a natural period when hens shed old feathers and regrow new ones. Moulting can last 8 to 12 weeks and often causes egg production to drop up to 90 percent. When laying resumes, however, eggs can occasionally be larger than usual.
As it turns out, the unusual egg was indeed a double-yolker.
Raised in Brighton on his family’s farm, Brown grew up surrounded by livestock before leaving for college and a career that took him far from rural life.
“I swore when I left for college, I’m never moving anywhere where they don’t have a sidewalk or streetlight,” Brown said with a laugh.
He went on to study chemistry and built a career in the food industry, analyzing nutrition labels. His work took him from Rhodes College to Boston and eventually to California, where he spent more than two decades.
But after 24 years, Brown decided it was time to return home and retired early.
Now, just one year into running his farm, BrownBlue Farms in Brighton, Brown keeps around 50 free-range chickens. His flock is made up of several breeds, including Olive Eggers, Cinnamon Queens, and Ameraucana chickens. Each chicken produces eggs in different shades and colors. The result is called an “Easter egg carton,” due to the natural shades of brown, blue, and olive green.
The oversized egg, Brown deduced based on the color, likely came from either a Cinnamon Queen or a Columbian rock hen.
In addition to expanding his farm, Brown also plans to begin selling his products at the Munford Farmers & Artisans Market at Veterans Plaza. The market will open on April 18 and feature local produce and artisan goods. This will be BrownBlue Farm’s first season as a vendor, where Brown is looking forward to sharing homegrown fruits and vegetables, and free-range eggs with the community.
Leave a Reply