Twins

[Matt Abro]

Hello everybody! Our first set of hens have started laying eggs about 2 weeks ago. We have 11 hens and the first week we started getting about 2 a day. This week we have been getting from 4 to 6 everyday. My question for all y'all is about two eggs we got that were holding double yolks. The first time we got this extremely large egg much bigger than the rest and bigger than most we've ever bought in a store. When we cracked it two yolks came with it. About 3 days later we got another massive egg and again there were two yolks. Is this normal? Can we expect to keep getting these massive twin eggs?

 

[Sagey_7878]

You may have special hens!

 

[sylviethecochin]

It's normal--when a hen's starting to lay, she has a bit more reserves than normal, and she still hasn't worked out all of the kinks in her reproductive system. You may still get some occasionally when they're older, depending on your feed. Production reds, ISA browns and other hybrid layers are more likely to lay them than other breeds are.

 

[oregonkat]

Double yolks occur quite often with new layers. I am not sure of the biological occurence that causes this but usually they stop laying doubles as they get further along in the laying cycle. I got three or four doubles out of my newer hens this past year but then they reverted to the good old single. There is a great article on BYC about egg anomalies that explains all of this stuff and is well worth reading. Enjoy your beautiful eggs and your hens.

 

[Latestarter]

Welcome to BYC and congrats on your new source of fresh eggs! Always eggciting when they first start laying. Since I'm also most fold of the yolk, I wish I could teach them to lay double yolked eggs more frequently. Wait till you get your first (shelled) egg within another (shelled) egg now THOSE are special! or the opposite end of the spectrum when you get a "wind egg" or "fart" egg... a shelled egg with all yolk or all white, the size of a large marble... Those happen occasionally as well.

As others have said... it's actually quite common for new pullets to do this. Generally it goes away with/as they age.

So meander around the site and share in the wealth of knowledge and experience! Make yourself at home and jump in as you feel the desire!

 

[pennyJo1960]

very normal on new hens agree with others enjoy while you have them

 

[Matt Abro]

Thanks everyone! Very enjoyable reading everyones responses.

 

[Sagey_7878]

Could a few people please look at my recent post? Thanks!

 

[oregonkat]

So, it just so happens that my wonderful olive egger delivered this egg to me yesterday. It is the one on the far left. The egg in the middle is the normal size for most of my eggs and my easter egger hen delivered the one on the far right.(This is a regular shaped egg for this particular chicken. Always a single yolk.) I ate the one on the left and when I cracked it open, low and behold a double yolk with both yolks fertilized. I don't know what the possibilities are for hatching twins but I expect that one chick would take over in the development process and the other would be rejected but I expect twins have been hatched at some point. This Olive Egger hen is almost 2 years old so not a newbie.