NON-believers are laying bets on a two-tone egg that appeared in last week’s Forest Journal.

Members of the Atheist Nexus website say they are divided on whether it’s actually made of wood, or the egg of a strange hybrid creature.

The odd egg was picked up by reader Eileen Witt of Fordingbridge, who said: “This is the first time I have ever seen an egg like this. I have been picking up eggs on Midgham Farm, Fordingbridge for the past eight years. I still have it, I’ve not eaten it yet.”

But Atheist Nexus member Joan Denoo emailed us from America to say: “Is this egg for real, or is it a faux-colored egg?

“Or is it a wooden egg with one side painted, or is it a heterozygote’s egg or gynandromorph’s egg? We have money riding on the answer. Please reply.”

As far as the poultry experts at the Journal know (the writer has four hens), it is simply an oddly-coloured chicken’s egg.

But it has set debate in motion in cyberspace.

Ruth Anthony-Gardner said: “Interesting. I’ve never before seen such an egg.”

Natalie Sera assumed someone was hatching a plot. She said: “Or whether it’s a scam: have you ever seen an egg with wood grain on it? (Little skeptical thinking here) Easy enough to carve one and spray-paint part of it white.”

James Martin stuck his beak in with: “I recognise that egg. It is a zebra egg. That explains the dark and white bands interjoined.

“They have a baby zebra in the making.”

So, do any of our highly intelligent and agriculturally aware readers know how the egg could have ended up this way? Or even if it’s a real egg? Well, it “mayo” may not be!

Until the mystery is resolved, we can’t say this is ova.