Double Yolked Eggs

Most of us have had the experience of finding we have a double yolk egg. Depending on whether you're a yolk person or a white person it's either a bonus or a fault. Personally I think it's a bonus, but I love egg yolk more than white.

Double yolk eggs are actually fairly rare, about 1 in 1,000 for commercial eggs where consistency is required.

Rarer still are multiple yolk eggs, triples or even quadruples and apparently there has even been a nine yolk egg!

What Causes Double Yolk Eggs?

When an egg starts its journey inside the hen, the first thing formed is the ovum in the hen's ovary. This grows and the colour changes from pale grey to the yellow we know as the yolk colour.

Once it reaches full size, the yolk sac breaks away (ovulation) and begins a journey down the oviduct where the egg white (albumen) and the shell form around it. The process from ovulation to egg laying takes around 24-26 hours.

Normally, the next ovulation is triggered by the hen laying the egg but occasionally things go wrong and two yolks are released at the same time to travel down the oviduct together, being surrounded by one shell and giving us the double yolker.

Twin Chicks in One Shell?

If the ovums are fertile the double yolked egg will contain two viable chick embryos but there will not be enough space for them to develop to hatching. Unfortunately twins from the same egg are not really possible.

Which Hens Lay Double Yolkers?

Most often double yolk eggs are laid by young hens of productive egg laying breeds. If you really like double yolked eggs then the highly productive breeds are more likely to reward you when young.

As they become more mature hens and their system settles down to correct production then the double yolks become less frequent to non-existent.

Since the double yolk egg cannot bring forth double chicks, genetically it is not possible to have a breed that consistently produces them. They'd die out! It is possible to develop a breed where the ratio of double to single yolk eggs is higher but I do not know of one.

Double Yolk Duck Eggs

Hens aren't the only bird to lay doubles - ducks do it quite frequently as well. In fact any bird can lay double yolkers but it is relatively more common in birds bred to lay rather than wild birds where genetic selection works against it.

So if you get some double yolk eggs from your hens, make the most of your good fortune because it won't last.

Articles About Eggs

• Selling Your Surplus Eggs at the Gate
• Selling Your Surplus Eggs - Marketing
• Selling Your Surplus Eggs - Markets etc
• Egg Shell Colour - Genetics & Araucana
• What Causes Pale Eggs
• What Causes Double Yolk Eggs
• Problems With Eggs - Yolks & Whites
• Egg Shell Colour by Breed Chart
• What to do with Surplus Eggs - Storing Eggs
• Know Your Eggs - Explains the Egg Descriptions in the Shops