Boiled, scrambled, poached, pickled, fried, or best of all (at least in my opinion) covered in hollandaise sauce, we certainly enjoy our eggs. In the UK alone we eat 34 million of them each day, and our love of these oval, shelled wonders has helped make the humble chicken one of the most populous land animals on planet Earth.
So how many chickens do you reckon hatch each year? Go on, have a guess! Now add some… times by two… add some more… and a bit more…
In fact, worldwide, more than 50 billion chickens emerge from their eggs each year. With around 20 billion alive at any given time, that puts the chicken (at least among land vertebrates) in second place only to the rat – though for some reason, people seem less keen on counting those. Humans are way behind at a meagre
7 billion!
At this time of year, though, the chicken – or more specifically baby chickens – have a special significance. As the days get lighter and the temperature warms, all around new life is starting to emerge; and along with bluebell carpets, mad March hares, golden daffodils and gambolling lambs, the oh-so-cute fluffy chick has long been a sign that spring is (sometimes reluctantly) springing.
So how many chickens do you reckon hatch each year? Go on, have a guess! Now add some… times by two… add some more… and a bit more…
In fact, worldwide, more than 50 billion chickens emerge from their eggs each year. With around 20 billion alive at any given time, that puts the chicken (at least among land vertebrates) in second place only to the rat – though for some reason, people seem less keen on counting those. Humans are way behind at a meagre
7 billion!
At this time of year, though, the chicken – or more specifically baby chickens – have a special significance. As the days get lighter and the temperature warms, all around new life is starting to emerge; and along with bluebell carpets, mad March hares, golden daffodils and gambolling lambs, the oh-so-cute fluffy chick has long been a sign that spring is (sometimes reluctantly) springing.And if the thought of all that vibrant vitality and abundant life puts a song in your heart and a spring in your step, why not check out our great new video and get your class dancing along to the ever-fresh favourite Spring Chicken?
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