AN EGGSTATIC grandfather-of-eight may have the world's smallest chicken egg.

Animal-lover George Graves, of Lower Gravel Road, Bromley, was over-the-moon when he found what he believes to be a record-breaker.

He went to his chicken coop to collect his morning breakfast he could not have been more "eggcited".

The egg, which is no bigger than a quail's, has been submitted to the Guinness Book of Records, which has no record of a smaller chicken egg.

He said: "I've never seen an egg so small and neither has anyone I know."

"I missed out on a tasty sandwich today but I cannot eat the world's smallest egg. I might sell it to a museum or a collector. It's just too soon to say what I'll do with it."

The chicken which laid the potentially record-setting egg is named Kiev after the popular Russian dish. .

Mr Graves said: "I am very proud of her. I'd love to have it X-rayed to see if it has a yoke in it. If I had left it to hatch, it might have been a super-small chicken."

An average sized chicken egg is 65mm x 45mm.

A spokesman for the Guinness Book of Records said: "We have a record of the smallest egg and the largest chicken egg, but not the smallest chicken egg. We will considering Mr Graves' application."

The 51-year-old has a lot of affection for his chickens and says he can tell which ones lay which eggs.

"I'd know my chickens' eggs out of a hundred. They are very special to me," he said.

RSPCA bird expert John Day believes the dark colour of the egg could have been caused by the amount of calcium in the food or the thickness of the shell.

As well as four chickens, Mr Graves has two dogs, two rabbits, three cats, one cockerel and 50 carp.

November 16, 2001 10:15

John Higginson