Lady Fluffington

and the magic egg

When young Poppy Walker went to collect eggs from her family’s rehomed hens in Cornwall recently, she found something peculiar – a pale blue egg. “Mummy, you won’t believe your eyes! We have a hen that lays magical eggs!” The magician turned out to be Lady Fluffington, one of the ex-commercial hens rehomed by Poppy’s mum Sarah, a teacher, mum of three and long-standing BHWT volunteer who has helped countless hens into new homes. Blue eggshells get their colour from biliverdin, a natural pigment deposited as the shell forms, thanks to a genetic trait. Inside, it’s a perfectly ordinary egg. The Walkers now sell their colourful mix of brown, white and blue eggs at the gate, where customers love the “pick and mix”. Poppy still insists it’s magic. Who are we to disagree?