Sunday, April 12, 2009

Who Knew?

In celebration of Easter, here's a timely little ditty about eggs.

At work last Monday, I came by this as I was making muffins:

Now, I've cracked a lot of eggs in my life - a lot of eggs - but I've never come across a double yolk before. It got me wondering how unique they are, and I came up with this bit of information to wow you all with.

1. Double yolks are a "mistake" in the chicken's reproductive system that sometimes happens when a hen just starts laying eggs and her system is still trying to figure out how to do it correctly. It may also be hereditary. [source]

2. Double Yolkers appear when ovulation occurs too rapidly, or when one yolk somehow gets "lost" and is joined by the next yolk. Double yolkers may be by a pullet whose productive cycle is not yet well synchronized. They're occasionally laid by a heavy-breed hen, often as an inherited trait. [source]

3. Most double yolk eggs are produced by young birds, so therefore barns that contain young flocks have a large concentration of these eggs. Usually a young bird will lay a small egg, but if the egg is a double yolk, it tends to be either large or extra large size. This tends to be true in humans as well, where expectant mothers tend to become “larger” for multiple birth pregnancies. [source]

4. Usually a double-yolked egg will be longer and thinner than an ordinary single-yolk egg. Double-yolked eggs occur rarely, only leading to observed successful hatchings under human intervention, as the unborn chickens would otherwise fight each other and die. [source]

10 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Thanks for the interesting info!

Happy Easter!

Cheers,

Rosa

Meg said...

Very timely! I have definitely learned something new!

Happy Easter!

tshsmom said...

That was fascinating!
The only part that I knew was that young hens are usually the ones who lay double yolks. My Dad, the former farmer, told me that.

Dad also said that double yolkers were considered substandard eggs, so they were paid less for them. So they would candle their own eggs and save the double yolkers for their own consumption.

Happy Easter!!

Bob said...

Mmmmm, double yolks. Great post. :)

Van Santos said...

I never knew! I have run into that before, which surprised me when it happened.

Now, to take things a bit further. When a hen is killed, it turns out there are upwards of two dozen eggs in various states of development. These eggs are, apparently, a delicacy.


Thanks for adding to my knowledge.

Monica Cassani said...

Hi WC,
I haven't been here before even though I see your comments all over the place!

I've seen a handful of double yolks in my day...

never thought too much about it though it is certainly curious...I just thought of it as a "twin" thing...

but I did wonder if it was possible for both chicks to live and it seems usually not!

Donna-FFW said...

Quite interesting.. not gonna tell yea what images come to mind when I see double yolks.. I really need help, huh?

Sara said...

I've never seen a double yolk before either, how strange! Happy easter :)

Coleens Recipes said...

In forty years of breaking eggs, I've gotten a double yolk about 6 times, so I don't think it is very common. I've also noticed that double yolked eggs usually have a pretty thick shell.

Elyse said...

I love learning about the foods I eat and use! What interesting information about the ole double yolk! I've never gotten one before...I have to keep my eyes peeled though!

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