Double yolker, polish cross

[Dona Worry]

I know, chances of success is low... but cool to see nonetheless

 

[Squawkers]

I would love to see you track your progress with the egg on this thread!!

 

[Dona Worry]

It's from my favorite hen, she's a little older and barely lays eggs anymore so I'll take any advice to help it along

 

[Squawkers]

It's from my favorite hen, she's a little older and barely lays eggs anymore so I'll take any advice to help it along

You might want to start a new thread for that!

 

[Nicks_Chicks]

Why would chance of success be low?

 

[SkyAJK]

Twice chicks....! That is new and exciting

 

[SnackMeat]

A couple reasons:

1. They grow too big too fast.

2. They run out of energy derived from their yolks.

3. One moves in such a way that the vein of the second gets cut (I have read this happening during a hatching and the second died.)

4. One of the above happens and one dies early on and causes a bacterial infection from the decomposing body that kills the live chick.


There are some fascinating videos online of hatching a chick without a shell that could conceivably work because of more space.

From what I recall, you take a cup and sanitized Saran wrap and make a Saran wrap pouch in the cup suspended by the cup's edge. You take an egg that has been incubated (I want to say vertically) for 3 days (I think it had something to do with being less likely to have the yolk bust but not sure) and crack it open and pour it into the Saran wrap. I have seen videos where they squirt a little antibiotic on top to keep a bacterial infection from starting. Then seal the top with more sanitized Saran wrap and poke 4 holes with a needle for humidity loss.


However that is for 1 egg. I haven't seen someone do 2 eggs. And there is a high failure rate. I want to say that I have seen an estimate that something like only 2% hatch?


I think possibly there was some calcium added to the egg pouch because the chick uses it during the maturation process. I have been curious about taking a larger egg, say, a turkey egg. Emptying it, cutting the top off and sanitizing it the best I can and then putting a double egg yolk in. Otherwise following a similar process. I would be curious if adding a third, unfertilized egg would help at all in terms of the fetuses possibly being able to draw energy from those, and running humidity more on the dry side to limit bacterial growth chances.


But that's all pie in the sky hypothetical. People have managed to hatch naturally a double yolked egg, but it is very rare. I'd be curious if the whole "twin eating the other in the womb" thing (wherein the DNA from one twin is melded with the surviving twin) occurs with poultry. It must, I'm sure.

 

[SnackMeat]

Like this but with a double yolker:

Also a cool video:

 

[Dona Worry]

A couple reasons:

1. They grow too big too fast.

2. They run out of energy derived from their yolks.

3. One moves in such a way that the vein of the second gets cut (I have read this happening during a hatching and the second died.)

4. One of the above happens and one dies early on and causes a bacterial infection from the decomposing body that kills the live chick.


There are some fascinating videos online of hatching a chick without a shell that could conceivably work because of more space.

From what I recall, you take a cup and sanitized Saran wrap and make a Saran wrap pouch in the cup suspended by the cup's edge. You take an egg that has been incubated (I want to say vertically) for 3 days (I think it had something to do with being less likely to have the yolk bust but not sure) and crack it open and pour it into the Saran wrap. I have seen videos where they squirt a little antibiotic on top to keep a bacterial infection from starting. Then seal the top with more sanitized Saran wrap and poke 4 holes with a needle for humidity loss.


However that is for 1 egg. I haven't seen someone do 2 eggs. And there is a high failure rate. I want to say that I have seen an estimate that something like only 2% hatch?


I think possibly there was some calcium added to the egg pouch because the chick uses it during the maturation process. I have been curious about taking a larger egg, say, a turkey egg. Emptying it, cutting the top off and sanitizing it the best I can and then putting a double egg yolk in. Otherwise following a similar process. I would be curious if adding a third, unfertilized egg would help at all in terms of the fetuses possibly being able to draw energy from those, and running humidity more on the dry side to limit bacterial growth chances.


But that's all pie in the sky hypothetical. People have managed to hatch naturally a double yolked egg, but it is very rare. I'd be curious if the whole "twin eating the other in the womb" thing (wherein the DNA from one twin is melded with the surviving twin) occurs with poultry. It must, I'm sure.

I don't think I am up for a saran wrap hatch. I'm crossing my fingers for this one, but I am fully aware it's chances aren't high. I feel like anecdotally, #4 is the most likely. Ie, one embryo will die and take the second down with it.

 

[SnackMeat]

Still cool though. And if your bird is newly laying eggs, double and even triple yolk for awhile are very common.

I believe later on, once laying and hormones are evened out, they're pretty rare. I saw one stat of 1 in a thousand but I'm not sure I believe that.