If you were considering adopting a vegan diet, this YouTube video may convince you to make the leap — or at least make you think twice the next time you take a carton of eggs to the supermarket counter.
YouTuber Josh Pieters recently purchased a number of chicken and quail eggs from UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s. Instead of hard boiling them and chucking them on top of a salad, Pieters decided he would do his due diligence to guarantee these eggs weren’t going to produce any life.
After buying an incubator and leaving the eggs in it for 21 days, the vlogger and his friends were skeptical that their experiment would be anything other than uneventful. So, they were beyond shocked when one of their quail eggs began to hatch.
Called Cressa — named by actor Chris Hemsworth during a “Men in Black” interview with Pieters — the chick that emerged is now being looked after on a farm close to Pieters’ home.
The YouTuber has assured that Cressa will continue to live out her (or his, the chick has not been gendered) life happily, and he and his friends will visit.
This isn’t the first time a supermarket egg has hatched. In 2016, Alwyn Wils from the Netherlands managed to hatch a quail’s egg bought from a nearby store. Wils continued to care for the chick, named Albert, inspiring others with his story.
One comment on a Modern Farmer article about Albert reads, “we have just hatched [two] healthy quail chicks from Waitrose eggs bought over Christmas! Initially [three] hatched but one did not survive.”
How Do Supermarket Eggs Hatch?
However, some farmers on less conventional farms allow one or two roosters in with the birds, in an attempt to keep their behavior normal and healthy. This means there is a chance that some eggs supplied to supermarkets could be fertilized, and, if given the opportunity, could hatch.
“Albert the Quail is the only chick who hatched from the dozen eggs Wils purchased, so this is one lucky little bird,” reports National Geographic. “Since emerging from his shell, the little cutie took his first leap and his first bath – adorable escapades for a critter that might have just as easily become breakfast.”
It continues, “try not to think too hard about that the next time you make an omelet.”
