Twin Yolked Eggs

Faith

I love an aul' egg yolk, and particularly love when you get twins. The last batch of eggs I bought had tiny little yolks, and I want to seek out twin eggs. Is it possible for them to be identified before they're cracked? I've heard before that you're unlikely to get twins in commercial eggs, so would I be best buying my eggs from farmers' markets and hoping they're twins, or is there a way to buy them and know they're twins?

vibe666

you'd have to wonder what would happen if a twin egg was fertilised. can't see there being too much room for two inside an egg.

rubadub

vibe666 wrote: »

you'd have to wonder what would happen if a twin egg was fertilised. can't see there being too much room for two inside an egg.

I think this is how you can tell, the egg will be bigger. And this is why they might not be in commercial eggs, too big.

Found this in an old AH thread

wextext wrote: »

About 1 in a 1000 eggs have two yolks. But once you find 1 in a box you are a lot more likely to find another. Eggs in a box are normally from the one flock of hens. Flocks are normally the same age. Young hens (pullets) can lay double-yolkers (chances of a double yolk from a young hen is nearer to 1 in 50), which are bigger in size. Bigger eggs are then boxed together.

In the bottom of this old thread a few people mention places
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=65280601

Dizzyblonde

I'm pretty sure someone on here said that the only way to be sure is to hold the egg up in front of a bright light - but you can hardly do that in the shop! We buy our eggs from a local supermarket and for a few months last year all the eggs we bought had double yolks. They definitely looked different to me, slightly taller and not as smoothly rounded along the sides.
A farmers' market might be your best bet because you can ask the producers.
I don't eat much of the egg white so I love a double yolk

LaChatteGitane

It is indeed young hens that are most likely to lay double yolkers. We had quite a few from last years chicks (that are now hens obviously)
The eggs are more elongated with seemingly 2 pointier ends as opposed to pointy/round end.

Faith

Excellent, such wonderful knowledge! I shall take myself off to farmers' markets and start inspecting the eggs .

Ooh, I found a picture and all on google!

I can't help you out at all Faith but I remember someone posted on here that they got a whole pack of eggs that were twins!

The Hill Billy

It has happened to me before that all 6 eggs were double-yolked. As DB said you can 'candle' the eggs by viewing them against a bright light.

Mellor

vibe666 wrote: »

you'd have to wonder what would happen if a twin egg was fertilised. can't see there being too much room for two inside an egg.

It's not really a case of being room inside the shell. Eggs are built from the inside out, the shell goes on last. If both eggs were fetilised, they'd end up in a bigger egg.

However, in normal conditions, when the chick is ready, it rights itself with its head up at the air pocket and pecks out. Apparently, with two in there they end up struggling with each other to get the right way up and each prevents the other from surviving. It's possible under supervision, to cut the shell and take them out at just the right time. Sort of like a C-Section I suppose.

RacoonQueen

Dunnes do mega eggs. Come in a box of ten with large and extra large eggs I think it is, a while ago ALL TEN were twin eggs, so off I went merrily to buy another on and only 4 were twin yolked.

Zoria

Deleted User wrote: »

I can't help you out at all Faith but I remember someone posted on here that they got a whole pack of eggs that were twins!

This happened to me. I bought a pack of very large eggs and nearly all of them were twins. I didn't actually eat them, they freaked me out

LaChatteGitane

Zoria wrote: »

This happened to me. I bought a pack of very large eggs and nearly all of them were twins. I didn't actually eat them, they freaked me out

I've heard it all now ! :eek::D

nudger

Seen the result of a hatched out free range egg, 2 heads, 2 1/2 legs , one body, didn't last long.

Zoria

LaChatteGitane wrote: »

I've heard it all now ! :eek::D

I'm a really fussy eater! I've thrown out almost full packs of eggs too, purely because most of them had those blood spots in them. Uh the thought of it :eek: