With modern technology we can produce industrial-scale foods of every conceivable variety, but the chicken got there first.

We make all sorts of different foodstuffs wrapped in plastic, but it's hard to imagine a better product than an egg in its natural packaging.

Eggs are an impressively durable product, given the time they last from chook to dinner plate. Even after supply from the farm to shop, you should be able to keep eggs for up to six weeks in your refrigerator.

World production of eggs continues to grow rapidly, from 61.7m tonnes in 2008 to 76.7m tonnes in 2018.

In 2009, approximately 6.4 billion hens worldwide produced an estimated 62.1 million tonnes of eggs.

That's a lot of nutrition in a versatile ingredient.

The origin of Gallus gallus domesticus is complicated, with a heritage in Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas.

If you count sheer numbers as a measure of success, chickens have done well from their relationship with humans. Each year more than 50 billion are raised for food production.

Many people are uncomfortable with battery farming practices, but less well known is the way we have meddled with their evolution.

Their current productivity as laying machines is the inevitable outcome of selective breeding pressure. We've bred chickens that lay more eggs, and a variety such as the ISA Brown will lay up to 300 eggs per year.

There are many factors that affect their egg laying ability, such as age.

After about a year, their productivity declines. They're also affected by things such weather, stress, and nutrition.

A problem we've caused for chickens with all this egg-laying is the toll it takes on their bodies.

Making eggs doesn't come for free for the chicken because it takes a great deal of effort to produce an egg.

If you think about the size of an egg, and the rate of production, it's a big load for a small bird.

Each takes calcium, protein, and other resources, which places a lot of stress on their major organs.

After a year or two the poor chook is pretty much worn out and we don't need them anymore.

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