Double Yolks as a genetic trait?

[Rootball]

I was speaking with a friend from Peru the other day and she was telling ame about a certain area where she lived where all of the chickens laid double yolked eggs. I was a little bot unsure as to believing the veracity of her claim, but she isnt one for tall tales and she said that it was a well known area in Peru.

Today I came across this picture

To get that many double yolks the layers would have to have a genetic trait, although It weems like it wold be tough to pass it along.

Anyone ever hear of this?

 

[steve2495]

wow! mayb or if those were purchased jumbo eggs the size requirement makes it so that only double yolks qualify

 

[TurtleFeathers]

I don't know much about it being genetic, but I too bought a dozen eggs in the grocery store once, and every single one of them turned out to be a double yolker...

Kathy

 

[TimG]

Given the difficulty of hatching two chicks from the same egg, I would be very surprised if there was a region where virtually all eggs are double-yolkers.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Young birds who are new to laying tend to lay the double and triple yolkers. Since it is the equivalent of fraternal twins, I suspect there could be a genetic component, but it's not the kind of thing for which there is research funding.

 

[austin12895]

Has anybody ever heard of somebody hatching out twins from one eggs? That would be very kool!! but i've heard it is very unlikely

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Yes, it has happened, but it is rare. I think there is a U-Tube video showing candling and hatching of a double yolker.

 

[SpringChickens]

I have heard some stories about hatching double yolkers, but most don't do well and all need assistance hatching.

With the carton of double yolkers from the grocery store, that's easily explained. All egg producers candle ALL eggs. Some grocery stores (i.e. Trader Joes) will allow double yolked eggs, so all that candle with a double yolk go there. All others go to Safeway.

 

[caralouise1974]

I read recently about someone who hatched out a double yolker, and whilst one chick was pretty much fine (but I think it needed assistance hatching), the other was squished and deformed and didn't live long.

I don't think, for that reason, that hens which only lay double-yolked eggs can have much success raising chicks... hence, the genetic trait, if it exists, wouldn't get very widely passed on.

 

[Pinoy Angelfish]

I was speaking with a friend from Peru the other day and she was telling ame about a certain area where she lived where all of the chickens laid double yolked eggs. I was a little bot unsure as to believing the veracity of her claim, but she isnt one for tall tales and she said that it was a well known area in Peru.

Today I came across this picture

To get that many double yolks the layers would have to have a genetic trait, although It weems like it wold be tough to pass it along.

Anyone ever hear of this?

A hen I purchased consistently (4-5 eggs a week) lays medium sized eggs but once every 3 weeks or once a month she lays a jumbo size double yolk egg. So far this hen has laid 5 double yolk eggs, the latest one was laid March 17, 2024 weighing 91.02 grams.

Is it genetic? According to an article by the LOHMANN company:
"Results of a selection experiment with White Leghorns in California

Poultry researchers at the University of California started selection experiments with chickens about a century ago to demonstrate that Mendel’s laws of inheritance also applied to quantitative traits like egg production. These experiments were a useful tool to teach students the principles of genetics. In 1964, a selection experiment was started to find out whether the incidence of DY eggs in White Leghorns would also respond to selection. Abplanalp et al. (1977) reviewed the literature on DY egg production and documented the progress in 10 generations, from about 2% to 30% in two closed lines, while a control line remained essentially unchanged (Fig. 3)." https://lohmann-breeders.com/lohman...-in-commercial-laying-hens-and-parent-flocks/