regarding 'double-yolkers'....

[critters]

are these just random or is there something special about the hen?
just wondering??

I know, it's probably a stupid question but ????.... I'll never know unless I ask!

 

[Baymule]

Can be random, sometimes it is from pullets just getting the egg factory fine tuned. Enjoy the eggs!

 

[Mahonri]

I've heard of hens that lay them regularly, but in my experience, it's totally random and rare.

the only hens I've had that have laid double yolkers were RIRs and Cinnamon Queens.

 

[BrattishTaz]

This question has been asked many times on BYC. The popular answer....... It seems to be a random thing for the most part. Pullets who have not worked out all of the kinks in their reproductive systems seem to lay double yolkers more often that other birds.

My experience.....There used to be a man who supplied eggs to a small family owned store here. My grandfather would only by his eggs because they were all double yolkers. He insisted he had a secret feed formula that caused it. I bought his eggs when I grew up too. Every big, brown egg had two yolks. The man eventually died and so did the double yolkers. I would love to know his secret.

 

[Tracydr]

When I was a kid we bought our eggs from a large, factory egg farm. I think they were cheaper and we must have gotten the one's not fit for resale at the grocery store. We used to get lots of double yokes. I thought those were the greatest!

 

[GardenGal]

One of our RIR mixes lays a double yolker every other day. She only started laying in May, so I don't know if she's still working it out or what. I feed them all organic layer feed, plus yogurt, greens, fruit, and whatever else I can think of. The other RIR has never laid a double yolker though, so these findings are by no means conclusive!

 

[silkielover5]

our cochin layed a triple yoker that thing was HUGE!!!

 

[Judy]

My guess from reading here is, many or most hens lay them once in a while, and a few lay them often. I have real doubts that any sort of food or supplement would change this. Of course I'd love to know what it is, if this is true.

 

[BrattishTaz]

Quote:
That makes two of us. All I am sure of is that this store (and later one other store) sold flats of double yolkers for at least 20 years. I don't remember ever finding a single yolked egg in them.

 

[epeloquin]

Double yolks are caused by a 'mistake' in the girl's egg production. All that happens is that when the ovum (starts out gray) drops down, becoming a yellow yolk, sometimes a 'mistake' happens and two drop down. This is more common in younger hens/pullets and in hens known for high yields. Normally it will slow down as they mature.

It can happen regularly in some hens. In fact I heard that some Amish folk in Missouri actually breed their hens to lay double yolkers. It is possible to do!