“Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”
Time was that philosophers sought the answer to this question, but now the answer gets spoken from time itself.
Or timers, at any rate (the rate in question being one second per second, the only rate at which time moves).
Please note that while the hen always speaks before her clutch, this does not necessarily mean she came before them, simply that she does as all chickens do:
always shouting clucks in impatience.
Since they’ve been kind enough to clear up the confusion;