Shopper ‘hatches duckling plan with supermarket egg’
A WOMAN claims she has hatched a duckling from eggs bought at a Welsh supermarket.
Adele Phillips, 28, said she decided she would incubate the Clarence Court eggs she bought from Morrisons in Port Talbot on March 28. A month later, on April 29, one of the eggs hatched, she claims.
“I saw online somebody had done it before and I thought I’d give it a go. I ordered an incubator and kept them in the airing cupboard for the first few days while I waited for it to arrive,” she said. “I looked online and it said you could check to see if they were fertile or not by shining a torch on them and seeing if you could see veins inside. I could only see one with veins - which is the one I have now - and got rid of the rest.”
Adele claims she looked after the egg she believed was fertile by turning it three to four times a day and making sure it was at the correct temperature at all times.
“Before I knew it, it started pecking little holes through the shell on the day it was due. I was so shocked and added this person from a duck page on Facebook to coach me through the hatching process,” she said.
“I wasn’t sure if I should help it at first because it had been pecking a hole for about 48 hours. When I came back from work the next day the duckling was just out of the shell looking at me.”
When Adele first thought about hatching an egg, she said she thought it might not happen and
‘‘ Before I knew it, it started pecking little holes through the shell on the day it was due
- Adele Phillips
just wanted to give it a go. She said she had intended to give it away if it did successfully hatch.
“But now that I’ve got him,” she said. “I want to keep him. I’ve been to Zoar’s - a pet shop in Neath - to buy him a friend because they like to have company.”
Adele has called the duckling she hatched Braddock Morris after its breed - Braddock White and Morrisons, where she claims they bought the eggs, and they call him Little Morris for short. His friend is called Beryl.
The reaction from her friends and family has largely been of disbelief, but Adele has grown a strong attachment to her ducklings and is adamant that she is going to raise them herself.
She is planning to get a pond in her garden for them to live there longterm.
“When I first told people I had the egg, they were all having a laugh at me. My partner thinks it is really cool and was shocked that could happen from a supermarket egg,” she said.
“They’re in a box now that I’ve made up with a heat lamp. Whenever [Little Morris] sees my face he gets really excited and starts chirping really loud. Then when I bring him out he climbs all over me and starts pecking my face.
“He’s so sweet, he cuddles up under my ear in my hair and his eyes close. Every time he looks at me I feel like my heart is going to explode.
“I can’t walk past the egg aisle now without thinking I want to buy more eggs.”
Morrisons and Clarence Court have been approached for comment.