A LITTLEPORT family believe one of their hens may have laid the world’s smallest egg, though they may have trouble proving it as it was cooked and eaten before they had chance to measure it!

Just days after Northumberland bed and breakfast owner Paul Rae staked his claim for the title with an egg smaller than a 20p piece, mum-of-two Maria Stableford said her bantam hen Pansy produced an even smaller egg.

Maria, of Chamberlain Fields, said: “Pansy had been broody for the last month so she hadn’t been laying but one day she started clucking which normally means she has lain so we rushed out to see what was going on.

“Initially I thought it was a stone but we all got very excited when we picked it up and realised it was a tiny egg. My nine-year-old daughter Cerys wants to be a vet and loves helping with the chickens so she was absolutely delighted.”

Maria, Cerys, husband Duncan and her 12-year-old Louise, took a few snaps and videos of the egg before it was fried up and served for hungry Cerys to devour.

Maria said: “Cerys was so excited about the prospect of eating it that it went without anyone else getting much of a look in!

“I think having seen the other egg that claimed to be the smallest we slightly regretted cooking ours and eating it so quickly!”

The Stableford family moved into Littleport last Christmas and decided to introduce three hens to a coop named Cluckingham Palace in the garden in June, though, despite being good layers, Maria said that the hens had never produced anything quite so small before.

She added: “We rush out to the coop every time we think they have laid now, it certainly adds a bit of excitement!”