Many of us, buying eggs, noticed that inside the shells sometimes come across double yolks. In this connection, anxiety arises: why a similar phenomenon occurs, whether it is possible to eat them, and also whether it is bad or good for our health. Let's look at all these issues together.
Two yolk eggs
Scientists have proven that double yolk eggs are found in completely different breeds of chickens, and it is easy to distinguish them from standard single-yelled eggs.
Did you know? In the "Russian Book of Records" there is a record from 2015, which concerns an ordinary chicken egg: its height was 8.3 cm, and its width - 5.7 cm. The host of the record holder, who smashed a giant egg, is Alexander Sofonov from the Tver Region.
We recommend reading about the benefits of chicken eggs and eggshell.
How to distinguish
You can examine the testicle by scanning through the ovoscope. But not everyone has this device available. Therefore, it is possible to conduct a simple comparison of the average indicators of the size and weight of a regular egg, and a two-yielded one:
Egg species | Height | Weight |
With one yolk | 5-6 cm | 35-75 g |
With two yolks | 7-8 cm | 110-120 g |
Do chicks hatch
In the egg industry for reproductive production, the testicles with two yolks are not used, since experts consider them defective: usually one of the embryos necessarily die, which poisons their fellow. According to other studies, embryos do not develop from such testicles at all.
We advise you to read about how to properly grow and feed the chickens, as well as how to treat and prevent chickens' diseases.
Although, according to reviews on farmer forums, such cases are found, but very rarely. It can be assumed that if it were possible to breed two chickens from one egg, then scientists would have long tried to study the gene responsible for this phenomenon, and the production of twin hens would be put on stream.
Can i eat
According to experts, if the chicken that laid the egg with a double yolk was not stimulated with hormones, then such an egg can be eaten without harm to health. Today, the testicles with this feature are in good demand among the population. All this is due to the fact that for the same price you can get larger eggs that do not differ in taste.
Find out what ways you can check the freshness of eggs at home.
The reasons
These egg products are capable of producing both healthy, highly productive, young laying hens, and birds "aged", with some hormonal abnormalities or diseases. We list some of the reasons for this phenomenon.
Laying age
One of the reasons may be age-related changes in chickens.
Video: why eggs have two yolks For example:
- A young chicken ovulated two eggs simultaneously. In this case, the eggs, falling into the upper section of the oviduct, due to the protein and shell glands are covered by one common shell.
- The double testicles are carried by the hen, which is in the young life cycle, in which reproductive functions are only formed (the first few weeks of egg-laying).
- Double eggs are carried by an “old woman” chicken, who diligently performed her egg-bearing function throughout her life, as a result of which her oviduct's tone was reduced, and this was the cause of this pathology.
Important! It is necessary to pay attention to the state of health of the bird population. Usually, in patients with layers that produce two yolk eggs, there are other anomalies in the testicles: thin or too strong eggshells, and covered with stripes and irregularities.
Hormonal supplements
Another reason may be hormonal stimulants. Some manufacturers use artificial stimulation of the ripening and laying of hormonal drugs to get more testicles.
Check out the list of the best breeds of laying hens, the rules for their selection and maintenance, as well as learn how to make feed for laying hens and what vitamins they need for egg production.
Products made with the help of such stimulation may be dangerous for the health of consumers. Yes, and for the health of laying hens is not useful.
Important! The lighting in the chicken coop must be muted, turned on and extinguished smoothly, otherwise bright and sharp flashes of light will introduce chickens to stress and anxiety, which will affect their egg production.
Inflammatory and hormonal diseases
For two yolks in the egg produce sick birds or layers, suffering from hormonal disruptions:
- Chickens that have ovulatory problems and inflammation of the oviduct (salpingitis). At the same time, they can be carried not only by eggs with double yolks, but also without yolks, as well as with defects, with blood clots. Sick birds should receive timely treatment and special care.
- The occurrence of hormonal disorders in young layers at the very beginning of the egg-laying, due to which a failure occurs in ovulatory processes. This may occur due to abrupt changes in lifestyle: increased daylight hours by several hours (over 15 hours) due to artificial lighting in the chicken coop, or they started feeding chickens with enhanced nutrition with premixes.
It will be useful for you to read about whether a rooster is needed in order for chickens to carry eggs, and also what to do if chickens peck eggs, carry poorly, carry small eggs.
Is it good or bad
This interesting phenomenon, like two yolks in one testicle, should not be treated as an advantage. For poultry farmers who find eggs with such features in their nests in their hen, this should be a wake-up call. Although, as we have already figured out, basically such products are not dangerous, and they can be used in cooking, but this can be considered a disadvantage rather than an advantage.
Solution to the problem
If your layers suddenly began to produce eggs with two yolks, in order to eliminate this problem, you must first establish the cause of this phenomenon:
- If very young chickens began to race with the two yolk eggs, and the reason for this was an artificial increase in day length over 15 hours, then it is necessary to reduce the time indicator to a 12-hour light period. Then you need to gradually increase this time to the recommended 13-15 hours.
- If the "elderly" chickens began to produce such eggs, then this situation can be remedied only by the planned replacement of them with younger hens.
- When hormonal disruptions due to increased nutrition of hens with specialized additives, it is necessary to exclude similar foods from their diet. Rapid changes in the hormonal background in chickens, of course, should not be expected, for some time they will still be carried by 2-yolk testicles. Their only difference will be safety for human health.
- In case of inflammatory diseases of appendages, the presence of blood clots in the egg protein, thinned or uneven surface of the shell, consultation of a veterinary specialist is necessary, who will examine the feathered patients and prescribe them to subsequent treatment.
Did you know? Domestic chickens are the most common birds on earth.
As you can see, eating eggs with a double yolk is not dangerous for health only if your clubs are completely healthy and young, eat balanced feed and are kept in optimal conditions.