I knew about these eggs with double yolks. I had seen plenty of chicken keepers sharing double yolk eggs with their audiences. It has been seven years since starting out keeping chickens and we still were waiting for one. Then this past week, one of the chickens laid a huge egg. It was about the size of two eggs and took up my entire hand. I thought surely, this must be a double yolk egg. At first, I didn’t want to crack it open. I let it sit on the counter with its sister eggs, so that I could admire it when I was in the kitchen. It was so large and pretty and I know that the chicken that laid it must have had quite to the effort to pass it. Then last night, the kids wanted eggs for dinner. It was time.
As we gathered around, I cracked the egg open. Sure enough–finally! We had our first double yolk egg. I could not help but cheer with excitement. We had a rare egg and we were celebrating. Who would have thought that the entire family would stand around a sizzling pan with butter and sheer anticipation in the air. We do love our girls!
But what is with these double yolkers anyway? How do they happen and what do they mean and why don’t we ever see them in the supermarket?
Double yolk eggs are a result of an oops in the reproductive system of the chicken. I was surprised to learn that approximately 1 in 1000 eggs has a double yolk. Double yolk eggs do not end up in supermarkets, because all eggs are candled for “defects” including double yolks prior to packing. Instead, these “defects” are sold as eggs to use in processed products. All eggs with multiple yolks are safe to eat.
The process of egg laying is very interesting. You can read more about it here. The egg laying process typically takes approximately 26 hours to form an egg. A double yolked egg starts when instead of the ovary releasing one yolk it releases two at once. These two yolks stay together during the entire egg making journey and eventually end up encapsulated into one shell.
So now you are probably wondering the same thing that my kids did after I shared this with them. Can chickens hatch twins? It rarely happens as both chicks die, but there have been cases where these fertilized double yolk eggs have been opened at precisely the right time and the two chicks have survived.
Of course, over the years and cultures, double yolk eggs have been considered to be linked to fertility, good fortune and even doom! Eggs can have even more than two yolks with the largest chicken egg containing 9 yolks! Double yolk eggs typically come from younger pullets (hens) as they begin to lay. Breeds most likely to give you a double yolker include Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds.
Do your hens give you double yolkers?
24 thoughts on “All About Double Yolk Eggs from Chickens”
I’ve had only one double yolker and it was from a young layer. But when we were living near Chicago, there was a restaurant downtown – Lou Mitchell’s – that served breakfast and lunch, and advertised that every egg dish they served was made with double yolk eggs. I could never fathom how they did that, and that was well before we had chickens. It was hugely popular so they must have had some enormous reliable source for those eggs.
(We just looked it up and they no longer advertise that their eggs are double yolkers. Maybe it got too expensive)
My girls must be abnormal, in that out of a flock of fifteen barred rocks, I get a double-yoke egg about every three to four weeks. I have not identified the girl who is laying them since they all like and share two of the nesting boxes. The double yoke eggs are easy to spot without candling. Aside from being much larger, they also have a cigar band around the shell, making the egg look like two eggs siamesed together as they formed. Inside, the egg is normal looking (beyond having two yolks). There’s no membrane or shell separating the yolks.
Very cool. Lucky you! Great tip too. I’ll have to check out the shell next time. Thank you.
My family has a no-neck ‘Turken’ who has laid at least 3 double-yolk eggs in the past year and a half. In fact, the first egg she laid was a double-yolk! She now lays an egg every day. Sweet girl.
How wonderful!
The first egg we had was from our original flock of hens. Unfortunately our dog knocked it of the table! (at least he got to eat it!)
Oh my goodness! What a memory! Lucky dog!
I got a bunch of mixed breeds and they were all young at the time. When they started laying I was getting a double yolk about every week for about 3 months. Now I don’t get any. I just thought it was an older hen that no longer lays. But having read this I realize it must have been one that was at the early laying stage,… I do have one Rhode Island Red….????……
Fascinating isn’t it. Thanks for sharing your story!
My husband just talked me into getting some Leghorns, and they were just starting to lay when we got them. We get a double yolk egg every other week, and its such a fun surprise to see one when I go to gather eggs. I do feel for the hen who laid it though. Must be quite the chore! I make sure they get an extra treat on those days for sure. Great blog, I’ve enjoyed reading and getting to know you and your flock.
Thanks! Lucky you with those Leghorns that lay those double yolk eggs! They are such a treat! I agree. Big eggs to pass. Extra treats on those days are in order for the girls.
My rhode island red layed around three or four double yokers when she started laying.
Wow! How awesome. Consider yourself lucky.
I got my first double yolker this last week! My girls are 9 months. I’m writing my blog post about it this weekend
Times have changed. I regularly buy Jumbo eggs at my local Los Angeles Trader Joe’s store and more often than not I have one or many double yolk eggs. I check the carton and can see by the size that I will get doubles. As many as I have, I still prize each and every one.
I am so happy that standards are changing and folks are embracing the imperfections in nature. For some, those are the treasures indeed.
We have 10 hens of variable breeds who have been laying about 3 weeks. We get a double yolker every other day. Exciting!
Exciting indeed!
My Barred Rock gives a DY every day, since she brooded and raised 4 babies in June. She of course stopped laying for all this time. Wonder if she’s catching up.
Wow! How cool is that?
I’ve had now three double yolks in the past 2weeks and two are fertile and are growing in my incubator!! They are from my Easter egger hen and satin silkie roo….I don’t know what to expect but I really am hoping they hatch healthy. The first one is now almost 2 weeks along and looks healthy. Keep your fingers crossed and pray these little chicks make it.
Oh do keep me posted on things.
I don’t have chickens, yet, but I have 23 Coturnix quail hens. I getting a double yolker about every other week. It was about every week when they first started laying at 6 weeks old, which was 7 weeks ago..
Oh very cool it must be to see a quail sized double yolker.