A PENSIONER got more than he bargained for when his free range Tesco Finest egg hatched to reveal a rare blue chick.
Smallholder Jack Bunn, 85, had bought a six pack of the top price free range eggs from a store in Batley and ate four with his family.
The wily grandfather then decided to try putting the leftover eggs under his own broody chickens to see if he could hatch his own rare breed.
One of them failed to hatch but he was shocked when the other cracked open to reveal the fluffy Oakham Blue chick.
Now he plans fewer trips to Tesco - which has the slogan every little helps - as he makes the most his own fresh supply of the rare blue-green eggs, considered to be a tasty delicacy.
Striking-looking Oakham Blues are bred from the South American Arucuna and have beautiful lavender-coloured feathers.
Jack, who has kept hens on his smallholding in Hanging Heaton for many years, said: "When we got these free range eggs we decided to find out if they really were free range. One of the hens was broody and we decided to try it."
Son Barry said he picked up the egg and could see through the shell that it had been fertilised.
He said: "Everybody said that it would never hatch but we pressed on with it."
Oaky has been accepted by her adoptive mum despite her colourful blue feathers.
"She treats it like any of the other chicks," said Jack.
"Oaky is a month old now and is one of the family."
A spokesman for Tesco said it was not the first time one of its free range eggs had hatched.
"Our free range hens roam free and can be kept with a lone cockerel. It helps to calm the hens and, as a result, hens and cockerels do what comes naturally."
