Illinois (USA) - Neali Tate only started keeping chickens in 2024. But one of her hens has already given her a really big surprise!

A few months ago, the US-American was given a flock of chicks, which she raised into laying hens.

Even as a child, Neali loved poultry, as she revealed to Newsweek: "The reason I like chickens is my grandma Lewis. She had and still has chickens. I owe everything I know about chickens to her."

Recently, the pet owner made an extremely exciting discovery: when she went to check on her pets, she discovered an egg that was far too big.

To get advice from other experienced chicken owners, Neali photographed her fascinating discovery and posted the pictures to the Facebook group "Backyard Chickens". The snapshots clearly show that the egg is even slightly larger than the palm of her right hand.

But the curious woman went one step further. Because she wanted to know what the chicken product looked like on the inside, she cracked it open and poured the contents into a bowl. Inside was not just egg white and yolk, but another egg.

"I've never seen anything like it. What a great experience," wrote Neali in the post. Group members reacted just as enthusiastically and some reported similar experiences.

But how can such a phenomenon come about?

Tracy Shane, an expert in livestock breeding at the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources at the University of Nevada in Reno, explained: "If the egg is not yet fully developed, has not yet left the laying gut and at the same time a new egg cell is released too early, a shell can then form around both eggs." So one egg includes the other.

Even if the end result looks a little strange, it is safe to eat. Neali, however, has not yet dared to eat the animal product: "It's actually still in my fridge!"