The Chicken Or The Egg
In the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic, people have tried to adjust to the quarantine life in a variety of ways. Some folks have started their own Do-It-Yourself projects, while others have branded their ideas or creations on social media platforms. There’s no lack of content when you account for the human mind and the power of creativity.
That’s why it came as no surprise when a British woman from Hertfordshire, England decided to incubate three duckling eggs while being on lockdown. At 29 years of age, Charlie Lello had seen other people on Facebook doing similar incubation methods with quail eggs. So while passing the time being furloughed, Lello decided to purchase the three eggs and placed them in an incubator.
“I got the idea from a video that popped up on my Facebook feed of someone hatching quail eggs,” she reported to CNN.
The eggs were delivered from the shelves of a supermarket chain named Waitrose. The chain mentioned that it was, “notoriously difficult to identify the sex of egg-laying white-feathered ducks,” and so it was slightly miraculous that you would end up with the correct egg.
Basically, without incubation, fertilized eggs cannot be told apart from normal eggs when eaten. The good thing about this is that it poses no danger or threat if a person mistakenly eats a fertilized egg.
Clarence Court mentioned in a statement that it was a “feat of remarkably slim odds that a duckling has been hatched” given that the eggs have been traversing through various locations such as from farm to packing center, to supermarket depot, to finally the store.
“Part of me thought it would never work, none of the quail eggs developed but after 6 days in the incubator I checked the duck eggs and could see veins and a very tiny wiggly embryo. Then the excitement kicked in.”
After a month of incubation, the small Braddock White ducklings began hatching out of the eggshells. The ducklings are named Beep, Peep, and Meep have really taken a strong liking towards Charlie; basically confusing her as their mother! They have grown attached to their mother and have been by her side constantly while also co-habiting with chickens.
“They have been collected, bashed around on a delivery truck, then rattled around on a trolley onto a shelf, picked up and put down by who knows how many people, so they still might not go all the way.” said Lello to the BBC.
Amidst the excitement and the joy behind becoming the mother of three adorable ducklings, the process of getting there was not all that convincing. Lello said,
“I spent the whole two days that Beep was hatching glued to my incubator. Thankfully I had friends at the end of the phone to keep me calm. He was a lone chick for two days so I had to make a little sling out of a beanie hat and carry him around until Peep hatched. Meep joined a week later.”
Overall, Lello is incredibly happy and excited with the finished process. She loves her ducklings very much and is considering herself very fortunate that the entire experiment went off without a hitch. Charlie has committed herself to be the best mom these ducklings can ever have and promises to keep them safe from harm’s way.
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