How Rare are Double Yolks?

[CMV]

Certain production breeds are more likely to lay double yolkers- Leghorns and Rocks come to mind. Certain age groups are more likely to lay double yolkers- usually new layers. Another time when you are likely to see double yolks is when a hen comes back into lay after a molt.

I never saw a bona fide double yolker until my 1+ y.o. Campbell duck came into lay after her first molt. She laid nothing but the biggest double yolkers until she stopped laying for the season. They were HUGE eggs. I have never had any of my chickens lay a double yolked egg and all my birds are production, hatchery birds. I've had them for 4 years and I'm still waiting.

 

[chicknfishn]

Ok don't hate me too much.

I have been trying to figure out who is laying the ginormous eggs

that I have been getting lately.

No sexlinks or production pullets.

I have an eating egg pen with pullets that are Barred Rock, RIR, Easter Eggers, Buff Orpingtons, English Orpingtons, and Gold laced Wyandottes.

Some of the breeds I only have one of. The first double yolker was green, so obviously EE. The rest are these.

Two of which I believe were laid by the same hen in the last 2 days

Everytime I get one of these I do this all the way back to the house.

Anyone have any idea on who is laying them from the egg colors or breeds that I have?

 

[Pinky]

Quote:
No. I've gotten one double yolker from my Shamo, quite a few from my Araucanas, and a couple from my French Marans. . . It happens. I've yet to get any from my Ameraucanas or Jersey Giants though. It's just a glitch that sometimes happens, and sometimes just doesn't.

I'll keep waiting since I have a chance

 

[Ruth Ann]

When ours (BO and SLW) started laying we got a few doubles...
but none since. But we still get some monster eggs once in awhile.

 

[helloroe]

I used to have a white leghorn that was huge, called her "Big Momma" All she would lay is double yolkers. 5 per week. A raccoon took her last fall. I have 61 girls and have never had another double yolker and I have two that lay huge eggs that do not even fit in the cartons.

 

[johny]

From my nine Buff Orps, I have only had one double yolk.

But a friend who has brown birds (? Isa Browns) gets a double yolker almost every day.
But she can not figure out which bird it is.

 

[farmerChef]

My PopPop(grandfather) lives up in Maryland and all he buys at the store is 'Jumbo Double Yolkers'. Do the egg farmers breed for this trait, or do they just save up the doubles? How can they tell if they are, a powerful candler?

 

[pride&joy]

Quote:
I have asked this question before my self? I know that locally there are some folks who sell exclusively double yolk eggs? They advertise it this way and seem to have and endless supply of these? I had heard several reports from my egg clients and have seen them for my self? I am wondering if there is a diet or hormone that does this?

 

[Illia]

pride&joy :

Quote:
I have asked this question before my self? I know that locally there are some folks who sell exclusively double yolk eggs? They advertise it this way and seem to have and endless supply of these? I had heard several reports from my egg clients and have seen them for my self? I am wondering if there is a diet or hormone that does this?

The answer is Sex Links. We also have a lady around here who sells exclusively double yolked eggs.

Sex Links, being bred solely for high egg production, have the glitch happen far more often because they just lay and lay and lay, thus, like people waiting in line, you have ones that cram together too tight, and - You get double yolkers. With enough hens, even five, you can sell a lot of double yolk eggs.​

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
We have a flock of 2500 red sex-links. We pull all of the super jumbo eggs (eggs above 2.75 oz) because they generally don't ship too well nor fit through the processing equipment at the egg plant, so we carton them up and sell them locally. They are pretty much all double yolkers.

If a producer has their own processing equipment, every egg is washed, graded, and inspected on the farm, so it's not too hard to pull all the double yolkers from the candling section.

They don't breed for it. It's generally due to glitches in the reproductive system of high production hens. Those eggs are generally a nuisance to the producer. If every flock was perfectly uniform and every hen laid a large egg it would save a lot of hassle.