A HEN belonging to a farmer in Co. Offaly has broken a world record by having two clutches of chickens in the space of just 55 days.
The record-breaker known as Sally delivered 11 chickens from 12 eggs just over a month and a half after her first clutch.
“Sally has made history in the poultry world,” said John Dolan, who owns the farm near Banagher.
It’s rare for hens to deliver a clutch of chickens so soon after another.
Hens will typically spend around 60 days laying and looking after their eggs before chicks can be hatched. They then normally spend the next few weeks tending to their newborns, which is why it’s rather unusual to have two clutches born in such a short space of time.
It isn’t the first time this farm’s hens have ‘made history’. Last year, another of Dolan’s hens, Marmalade, entered the Guinness Book of Records for having hatched 107 chickens in the space of two years, before sadly passing away in February.
“Marmalade’s world record will never be broken by any hen. She hatched 181 chickens in total with 18 clutches in four years,” said Dolan.
In honour of her record, Marmalade was named the Grand Marshal of the Banagher St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2018.
There must be something in Marmalade’s genes (or maybe something in the water at Mr Dolan’s farm) because a hen called Little Chip - Maramalade’s daughter - hatched an incredible 20 chicks from 26 eggs at her very first attempt.
Clearly these Offaly hens are doing something right, with Sally following in the record-setting footsteps of the famous hen Marmalade.
