BUDDING entrepreneur Becky Smith is hoping that her latest venture will provide a real nest egg.

For her productive pet hen, Marjorie, has started laying eggs at such a rate that the ten-year-old is planning to supply her friends and family - at a reasonable price of course.

Her father, Paul, bought the bird from an allotment holder for just £1 for Becky, as the family home, in Brancepeth Village, near Durham, has a small hen run in the back garden.

Within four days of starting to lay, Marjorie produced 13 eggs.

Although Becky has a fondness for free range eggs, it has exceeded even her appetite.

She now hopes Marjorie continues to be as productive so she can sell the eggs to family and friends to top up her pocket money.

Her father said it may be down to Marjorie's diet of yellow pansies from the front garden, mixed with corn bought from the local pet shop.

"It's quite remarkable. We used to own six hens and at the very best we only ever got six eggs in one laying day.

"When Becky told me how many there were I thought she was cracking up at first, but it was no 'yoke'.

"If she sells the eggs at £1.50 per dozen she'll build up quite a nice little nest egg."

Becky, a pupil at St Patrick's RC Primary School, in nearby Langley Moor, said: "If she continues to lay at this rate, I'll get about 750 eggs between now and November at £1.50 a dozen."

"I'll be £93.75 better off and that's about 100 per cent profit."

Marjorie needs to keep up her early level of laying to challenge the British record of 353 eggs in 365 days by a Rhode Island red, in a national test in Milford, Surrey, in 1957.