Before you prepare to dye (or fry) your eggs this weekend, take a minute to appreciate these moments of joy and grief from beyond the carton. Jumbo and free-range eggs alike have dreams of becoming something more than the discarded gametes they are, and all fear joining their fallen comrades in that giant scramble in the sky.

Photos from leah miraballin’, camhabib, Cath O’Connolly, pixelmama, Beth Radons, and Michele Krankkala.