#this is no normal double yolker

[stumblngrumbl]

someone laid a huge egg in the hen house this morning

it's far bigger than any chicken or duck egg i've seen and about the same size that the goose laid during her first batch

i can squeeze my hands into large gloves but xl fit better:

weight, normal (actually extra large) & huge egg:

[angel-derangement]

sometimes you crack the egg of the day and it’s a double yolker

EXPLANATION: the “egg” is a metaphor for your thoughts which you experience each day anew, and on some days they are a “double yolker” in that they have twice the “yolk” as they normally do. the yolk is destiel.

[anarchocuntboogaloo]

Are you sure the egg is big and isn't that your hands are small, Miss Jenni?? dat just a normal egg

My hands are a bit smaller, bully, but if you look at it with the others it's a large egg. It's normal, not a fucked up double-yolker or anything. But the tan ones are mediums.

Normal eggs come in sizes. All size eggs are beautiful 😤

Don't bodyshame 😤

[themotelchicks]

Happy Easter from this absolutely massive double yolker Baby laid the other day????? Gave me a fright when I found it ngl lol

Here is a side by side comparison with a "normal" sized egg (think roughly the size of store bought large eggs)

[jensownzoo]

Gathered today's pullet eggs (those Sapphire Gems are hitting the ground running with an egg each everyday!):

Well lookee here. The normal pullet egg is on the right (it's medium egg sized). The one on the left is larger than a jumbo, poor girl.

Well let's open it up and see:

Yep, double yolker! Extra breakfast this morning!

[allbeendonebefore]

ok this is uncanny. this is like the 5th egg in a row i have used that has had a double yolk. this must be some kind of omen of something.

i have one more egg i need to use this evening after work for the savillum so place your bets now

[kedreeva]

I bought an 18 pack of normal eggs at the grocery store. FIVE of them had double yolks. What are the odds of that???

Not high, they should be looking for double yolks; companies actually DO sell entire packages with JUST double yolked eggs. A friend of mine accidentally bought a carton of them and was freaking out as each successive egg was a double yolk until she read the label.

Buuuut if you were buying jumbo eggs, the company could have just not noticed. And most egg farms are working with yearling or at least less than 2.5yo chickens, since production breeds generally lay daily for the first couple years and then get culled... and most double yolkers are going to be from young chickens whose systems don't have it figured out yet. So, the company has a good chance of getting double yolkers.

[homeofhousechickens]

i recently got a massive egg that i found out had two yolks in it. do you know what causes this, and how frequently they occur? related, since the egg was so big, do chickens need help laying bigger eggs, and how would you help them do that? thank you :D

Have your chickens recently started laying (under a year old)? Or did someone go on break then start laying again?

Double yolkers are caused by the chickens ovary ovulating more then one egg cell,usually 2 instead of one but some birds have ovulated more then 2 and have had crazy sized multi yolk eggs. Double yolkers are incredibly common and usually not a cause for concern

Our own biological processes are not perfect and humans can also ovulate multiple egg cells at once :)

The charts i posted below are a good start to learning more about a chickens Oviduct.

A chickens "egg" becomes a shelled egg in the uterus so before that usually the two egg yolks are just vibing in a membrane together so its not paticularly hard to pass the egg like any other egg.

So your chickens are probably fine its completely normal :) but for the sake of knowledge though ill go more into it

Their are many reasons why a chicken might become eggbound. One of them is lack of calicum. The muscles in the oviduct that push the egg along actually need calicum to work and without enough calicum they cant actually push the egg out. This is why oyster shell is better then calicum powder because it will give the bird calicum over a period of time as it sits in the gizzard.

Another reason is infection. Chickens are kinda just really open internally due to being a bird so its not difficult for a respitory infection in the lungs or intestinal infections (like e.coli) to "jump" to oviduct and cause issues.

Infections like Infectious Bronchitis (and other viruses) can permanently damage the oviduct so the hens produce eggs with a wrinkly texture.

Inflammation due to stress, trauma, illness, cancer can also cause a hen to have trouble passing an egg due to swelling.

The best thing for situations like above is to support the hen and treat the underlying problem.

Vet can give antiboitics for an infection, pain relief for swelling, and will be able to do fecals and vent swabs to pinpoint the issue.

Hens who have chronic problems with their reproductive tract can be implanted with a hormone implant to stop laying in some countrys, or they can spayed as a last resort as its a tough surgery.

Egg binding symptoms

-Lose of appetite

-Disinterest in Drinking

-Excessive Drinking (vit d deficiency symptom as well)

-Shaking or Shivering

-Penguin stance

-frequent sitting and laying down

-Lethargy

-Listlessness

-Straining the abdominal muscles, vent pulsating.

-very wet liquid droppings or none at all

-Trouble walking, falling over, almost like the legs are weak. This is due to the egg pressing against nerves. (Also a symptom of Mareks if not egg bound)

-Droopy pale comb

Egg binging or being egg bound is a medical emergency.

Hens will normally die within 24-48 hours if they cannot pass stool, hens that can pass stool can last longer.

If the hen lasts longer and treatment isnt available or isnt working, quailty of life needs to be taken into account as this is a very painful and uncomfortable condition, the kindest thing you can do for a hen who cant get treatment is to put her to sleep.

There are some things you can do to help your hen pass the egg.

-Warm soak in a bath (water should be pretty warm to touch)

-Giving Liquid Calicum or crushed calicum tablets

-Very Gently Massaging the abdomen

-If you can physically feel the egg and its towards the end of the oviduct you can glove up and lube up and very very gently remove the egg or lube up the oviduct if you cant reach to help it along. Use medical grade lube for this if you can or normal average water based lube with no additives. You wont want to yank the egg out as you cause a prolapse.

-a private place such as a bin or crate that isnt completly dark with good soft bedding material can be enough to get a hen to the lay the problem egg.

-a little heat source like a hot water bottle or heating pad can help relax the muscles and provide pain relief for the bird but its important its not to hot and the bird can get away from it.

Thankfully double yolkers are pretty common and a healthy chicken usually has no trouble passing the egg but i hope the knowledge I shared will help you if you or anyone reading do experience a hen who gets an egg stuck.

[urban-homesteading]

Making Money from a Mini Farm: A Series

Selling fertilized eggs

Step one: Chose what you are going to sell

If you are selling fertilized eggs, then all you need is a flock of hens and the appropriate number of roosters.  But non pure bred eggs will bring a very low price and you might only be able to sell small numbers of these eggs.  It is much better to chose a breed of chickens and then keep only those in your flock.  Although you could always keep more than one breed, that would necessitate confining your chickens, which is not something I recommend.

 Rarer breeds and colors will bring more money. Shipping eggs is pricey, so you will need chickens rare enough to make it worth it for your buyer.

Step two: The legalities

Your flock must be certified by the National Poultry Improvement Plan for you to legally ship hatching eggs. Most states also require a health permit as well as pullorum and typhoid testing. Talk with your county extension agent or your state’s NPIP representative to find out what you need. There are hefty fines for illegal egg peddling, so don’t omit this step!

Step three: Marketing

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of shipping, sell locally. Pin notices on bulletin boards at veterinary offices and feed and farm-supply stores, and take out classified ads either in newspapers or online—such as Craigslist (Facebook often does not allow the sale of any animals).

If you’re willing to ship eggs, list them at online poultry auctions, such as EggBid, FeatherAuction.com and Rare Breed Auctions. You can also sell eggs at eBay and Amazon. There are several hatching egg groups at Facebook worth investigating, as well. While you’re there, run a search for Facebook groups devoted to the breeds you’re selling. Join and find people interested in buying.

When you place ads, be very explicit about what you’re selling. Point out how many eggs you’ll send. Eggs are usually sold in groups of 6, 8, 10, 12, 24 or 36. You can also include extra eggs to offset any eggs damaged during shipping. Including extras at the rate of one extra per six eggs ordered is a good idea: Seasoned buyers expect it, and it promotes good will. If you don’t plan to send extras, say so.

Hatching eggs are normally sold without guarantee. Even if you send fresh, fertile eggs, they can easily be damaged during shipping or your buyer may not incubate them correctly. Buyers usually expect a 40 to 80 percent hatch from shipped eggs.

Step three: Gathering your precious cargo

Washing eggs removes their protective bloom, so keep them clean by lining nest boxes with plenty of bedding, changing it as often as needed and collecting eggs several times a day. Carry eggs gently to the house. A towel-lined basket is good for this. Sort the eggs and store the ones you’ll sell as hatching eggs large-end-up in a clean, closed carton between 55 to 70 degrees F and at roughly 75 percent humidity.

You’ll need a hygrometer to make sure your room’s humidity reading is in or near the ballpark. Pick one up at a drugstore or online, and follow the instructions. It’ll show your room’s humidity level as a percentage. Boost the humidity, if necessary, by placing a small bowl of water beside the carton. Elevate one end of the carton by slipping a book or block of wood under it. The following day, move the book to the other end, alternating ends until you ship the eggs. This keeps the yolks from sticking to one side of their shells.

When sorting, set aside well-shaped, average-sized eggs as hatching eggs. Avoid large eggs that might be double-yolkers—these rarely hatch—and unusually small eggs, as they tend to produce small, weak chicks. Remove any with bumped, wrinkled or otherwise flawed shells and any with hairline cracks. A tiny amount of soiling is usually acceptable, but it’s better to send clean eggs. Remember not to wash them, though!  You can use a soft bristle tooth brush to gently brush at any crusted dirt, but only give a couple of swipes as to protect the bloom.

Step four: Shipping

Once you’ve sold your eggs, package them carefully and don’t skimp on wrapping material. Many shippers favor bubble wrap and shredded paper. They carefully wrap each egg in bubble wrap, leaving the ends open for air circulation, then pack them in a mailing carton with lots of shredded paper cushioning in between.

Eggs can be packed in any type of cardboard carton large enough to allow for plenty of cushioning material, but it’s hard to beat flat-rate priority boxes from the U.S. Postal Service, which ship to any state at any weight at a fixed price. They’re sturdy, free and sized exactly right for most shipments. A medium-size box is great for up to 15 eggs and costs about $14 to mail; the large flat-rate box holds up to two dozen and ships for about $19.

It never hurts to package incubating instructions in every package. Shipped eggs should be rested for 24 hours at room temperature before being placed in an incubator or under a broody hen. A good way to handle this step is to print copies of a university-generated bulletin about incubating chicken eggs and tuck one in each box.

The USPS is the only carrier that ships hatching eggs, so plan to mail your package via priority rate or, if the buyer chooses to pay extra for shipping, overnight mail. Write “Fragile—Hatching Eggs” somewhere on the carton and also “Do Not X-Ray,” as the postal X-ray machine’s rays could affect the hatchability rate. Ask your buyer if he or she wants the post office to hold the eggs for pickup rather than exposing them to a bumpy ride in the carrier’s delivery vehicle; if so, mark the carton, “Hold for Pick-up: Call (your buyer’s phone number).”

Contact your buyer to let him or her know the package is on its way and provide the tracking number from your priority mail receipt. Ask them to contact you when the eggs arrive and again after they hatch.

[v8311667]

Yesterday Keavy popped out this huge egg! When we cracked it open, it was a double yolker! Back to normal today though. #chickens #chickensarefamilytoo #keavy #chickensofinstagram #doubleyolker (at Niceville, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Q3nGvgB6O/?igshid=99y1sg7xbeic

[magistralucis]

🔀 and also a small token for you: 🐣💛

🔀 Gesaffelstein - Wall of Memories

Félix saw him again, just once, years after it happened.The recognition was not mutual. Not surprising, as not many things had been between them. “And what do you have in mind?” The man behind the counter called cheerfully; Félix stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, but he saw no recollection taking place at all. He wasn’t called Félix then, nor was the man behind the malt shop counter called Dan, but that was the name forever seared into the depths of his heart.

“… Cheeseburger, I think. With an egg on top. And a milkshake, please.”

But that was just him, really. Life wasn’t a drama. There would be no sharp intake of the breath - no disbelieving stare, no soft and hesitant is that really you hanging in the sweet-scented air between them. When asked what flavour of milkshake he preferred, Félix was very specific about his love of strawberry, both anticipating and dreading whatever recognition might result from it - but again, to no avail, and the order was put in straight away.

He didn’t try again after that.

They’d both aged since they’d last seen one another, Dan more noticeably so than Félix had. He was silver-haired now, with laughter lines already embedded along the corner of his eyes; Félix had to hope that that meant he was happy, no matter what had happened in his life so far. As for him, well - Félix wasn’t happy, not all the time, but he was okay. It had little to do with what had happened between him and Dan, simply the ups and downs of life. There hadn’t been much adventure in his life since the day he’d hung up his Chivers jacket and took up other responsibilities, and while it was unfair to say he didn’t miss it, it was for the best he didn’t return.

Félix looked around. Dan had mixed up the ingredients for the milkshake and had set up the blender, ready to go at any moment. Patties were being grilled somewhere in the kitchen. No one else was around. He had no idea if Dan owned this malt shop, but the red-and-white colour scheme made him wonder.Perhaps he should return wearing the jacket at some point, just for old times’ sake. Projecting the illusion of togetherness, belonging in the same space again instead of being strangers who happened to be sharing it. Joined hip to hip again, passing milk bottles between each other, feeling privileged that Dan thought him important to his-

“I was just making your eggs, take a look at this!”

Félix looked up, startled. Dan was peering over the counter, grinning, with the beautifully assembled burger set out on the tray - with two eggs on top, not one. “These came from just the one egg, you got yourself a double yolker! Like some cute little couple. Looks like it’s your lucky day.”

Félix stared at the double-stacked eggs. “Nice,” he said, and just laughed a little - the kind that came about when everything was falling apart. “could you please take one out, though? I’m trying to stay in some sort of decent shape.” 

“That’s fair enough, mec, I used to be as thin as you are once. I’d kill for the kind of dietary control you got.”

“Wouldn’t we all.” Then, more softly, and with finality: “If you haven’t had lunch yet… if you’d…”

“Miles ahead of you.” Dan said, and stepped out of the counter. He slapped the CLOSED sign facing outwards on the door and tipped out the extra egg onto a plate, where he put down one of the spare patties he’d been frying earlier, alongside a slice of cheese and the usual sesame-speckled buns. It was almost enough to make Félix believe that they were still connected, but when he came back with Félix’s meal and his own plate, he chose to slouch admirably on the booth opposite of Félix and not with him. "Do you work out or something?“ He asked, lazily reaching for a napkin.

Félix laughed again and it felt outside of him a little.

“Oh no,” he said, and dug his fork in. “I don’t work out at all.”

Notes: This may or may not be related to the epilogue of The Mossflower. I still stuck them in France, not pseudo-America like Oizo would have us believe; Felix likes strawberry milk(shakes) with as much relish as he did in that fic; but idk, everything just sounds too fucking normal for the Steakverse in this piece and that aspect doesn’t sit very well with either Steak or The Mossflower.‘Wall of Memories’ is probably the most ominous soundtrack for a malt shop, but this seemed to be the best way to translate the song and the egg into this token for you. Thanks for the egg/chick btw @local-gay-cryptid and your eternal support god bless you.

[stumblngrumbl]

normal "large" egg (darker brown) provided for scale, i only cooked the double-yolker - it weighed 102g, almost twice as much as a "large" grade egg

[catastrophepins]

Hey, not sure if you care of if anyone's already told you, but the Egss In A Carton thing is literally just a stereotypical lazy American thing because sometimes you don't wanna crack eggs to bake or cook with, so the eggs in a carton take care of that problem! Also: Pre-Whisked! It's a win-win!

That’s super weird to me haha What if you use a recipe that requires you to separate the yolks and whites and use them at different times? How do you know how many eggs you’re using? It eliminates the excitement of seeing if you got a double yolker!

Do people buy it along with normal eggs incase they want a fried egg? Or a boiled egg? Or a mashy egg in a cup? Is the advantage that you get eggs cheaper if you buy the carton or do they cost the same as regular eggs? If you drop it and it spills everywhere you waste more eggs than if you just drop a single egg, or even a pack of normal eggs, because they don’t usually all crack.

I have a lot of questions haha

[josephkitchen0]

Incubating Duck Eggs with Chicken Eggs

If you have already tried incubating chicken eggs, you know how addicting it can be. Have you tried incubating duck eggs? And can you incubate duck eggs with chicken eggs, conserving space while only focusing on one hatch time?

In all the literature I have studied regarding how to hatch chicken eggs vs. duck eggs, I have never read anything that advised NOT doing it. The same procedures used for incubating chicken eggs can also be used for incubating duck eggs … with a few adjustments.

Size

Incubators are usually constructed specifically for hatching chicken eggs of a standard size, though pullet or Bantam eggs may need a smaller insert if you are using an automatic egg turner. If you only have the most basic of incubators, in which eggs are set on a wire screen and turned manually, this isn’t an issue. But if you are using a larger incubator with turners, you may need to purchase separate sizes for duck eggs vs. chicken eggs so the eggs do not jostle when moved. Too much jostling can create hairline fractures or cause abnormal development of chicks/ducks.

Time

How long does it take for chicken eggs to hatch? Twenty-one days, give or take a couple of days if temperatures are off. Incubating guinea eggs takes 28 days — the same amount of time it takes to incubate standard duck eggs — though some experienced guinea fowl owners say it takes 25-26 days with a well-calibrated incubator. Muscovy eggs take 35 days. Geese can take 28-35 days, depending on whether they are a lighter or a larger breed.

But chicken egg incubation time can coincide with the window for incubating duck eggs if you do a little math.

Temperature and Humidity

The document “Muscovy Duck Care Practices” from U.C. Davis states, “For still-air incubators the temperature within the incubator should be maintained at approximately 102oF (39oC) with 60 to 65% relative humidity. The thermometer should be placed at average egg height. Water pans should be filled just prior to use and water replaced every 3 to 4 days throughout the incubation period. The eggs should be placed horizontally and turned 180 degrees on the long axis, 3 or more times per day (an odd number).  In forced-air incubators a dry bulb temperature of 99.5oF (37.5oC) and a wet bulb temperature of 88oF (31.5oC; equivalent to 65% relative humidity) are recommended.”

In general, temperature and humidity needs are so similar for incubating duck eggs and chicken eggs that it’s not a concern. A document from Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension lists the incubation temperature for duck, chicken, goose, and guinea fowl eggs as 99.5°F and the hatching temperature as 98.5°F for duck, chicken, and goose with 99°F listed for guinea fowl. Muscovy ducks require the same temperature as standard domestic ducks descended from Mallards.

Humidity can vary. The same document lists humidity for incubation as:

Chicken: 58%

Duck (including Muscovy): 58-62%

Goose: 62%

Guinea Fowl: 54-58%

And for hatching as:

Chicken: 66-75%

Duck (including Muscovy): 66-75%

Goose: 66-756%

Guinea Fowl: 66-75%

  The Basics

Whether you’re incubating duck eggs or hatching chicken eggs, these same guidelines apply:

Store fertile eggs at 55-65°F, pointed side down.

Set eggs within seven days of lay, if possible, and no more than 10 days after lay.

Select clean eggs. Do not wash or wipe eggs, as this can remove the bloom that defends against bacteria.

Select “normal” eggs, not double-yolkers, odd shapes, or eggs that appear too large or too small. Often these will hatch but the chick/duckling may be weak or improperly developed. Discard cracked eggs.

Sanitize the incubator before starting, since 99°F is an optimal temperature for any existing bacteria to grow.

Set the incubator in a safe area away from kids and pets, direct sunlight, and drafts.

Start the incubator two days before you intend to set the eggs, to ensure it holds the correct temperature and humidity.

Warm eggs at room temperature before setting in the incubator so condensation does not develop.

Be sure to turn eggs three times a day until lockdown, whether they are duck, chicken, goose, or guinea fowl.

Lockdown!

The most important time window, when incubating duck eggs or chicken eggs, is the lockdown phase. Often, a separate “hatcher” is used for this lockdown period, which doesn’t turn the eggs but maintains a higher level of humidity.

“Lockdown” is when opening the incubator can result in a humidity drop, which can dry membranes as chicks or ducks try to escape. Eggs do not need to be turned during the final two to three days before hatch; they just need to be monitored for temperature and humidity. Schedule your incubation times so lockdown coincides, allowing three days in which ducklings and chicks can hatch undisturbed.

When incubating duck eggs with chicken, goose guinea fowl, etc., get out your calendar. Mark your planned incubation dates based on the species which takes longest (such as Muscovy). Then count backward from hatch date, 21-28 days depending on species, and set your other eggs on that date.

If I was going to hatch Muscovy, Welsh Harlequin duck (or any other breed descended from Mallards), and chicken eggs together, starting March 1st, I would:

Sanitize my incubator then start it on February 26th to be sure it works right.

Set the Muscovy eggs on March 1st.

Mark “lockdown” on my calendar as April 2nd.

Mark “hatch” as April 4th-6th

Set the other duck eggs on March 8th, candling the Muscovy eggs at the same time and discarding any that have not developed veins.

Set the chicken eggs on March 15th, candling the duck eggs at the same time and discarding any that have not developed correctly.

Turn all eggs three times per day, ensuring that the small ends point downward.

Candle eggs weekly, discarding any that have not developed correctly.

Observe hatch, ensuring that the incubator is not disturbed, and removing all chicks/ducklings within 24 hours after they have dried.

Incubating Duck Eggs Under a Broody Chicken

This is probably the easiest method of incubating duck eggs, since you don’t have to worry about time or humidity. I have hatched duck eggs under a Silkie hen, a standard-sized hen, and even under my heritage turkey. The ducklings hatched and thrived under the care of their foster mothers. If you have fertile duck eggs and an available broody, give it a go! Your hen won’t mind the extra seven days of incubation and will almost always be great mothers … up to the point where they panic when their web-footed babies jump into the water. However, if you are intent on incubating duck eggs with chicken eggs under your broody, slide the chicken eggs under your hen seven days after setting the duck eggs, so your broody doesn’t jump off the next to care for chicks before the ducklings can emerge.

Have you incubated duck eggs with chicken eggs? Tell us your experiences!

    Resources:

“Hatching Duck Eggs” by William F. Dean, Ph.D., and Tirath S. Sandhu, DVM, Ph.D. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine:  https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/sects/duck/hatching.cfm

“Muscovy Duck Care Practices” by California Poultry Workgroup and University of California — Cooperative Extension  http://animalsciencey.ucdavis.edu/avian/muscovy1001.htm

“Incubating and Hatching Eggs” by Gregory S. Archer and A. Lee Cartwright, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension https://aglifesciences.tamu.edu/posc/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2012/08/EPS-001-Incubating-and-Hatching-Eggs1.pdf

  Incubating Duck Eggs with Chicken Eggs was originally posted by All About Chickens

[perfectingbakes]

I went to The Little Owl Farm in Worcestershire with my boyfriend at the weekend, it was a beautiful sunny day and a great day out.

I absolutely love animals, I got to stroke little piglets and a baby chick that was a few days old and fed goats, deer and an alpaca. I also had my camera with me so I got lots of pictures and I thought I would share some with you.

Close up with a Barn Owl

European Eagle Owl

It was nice to get a close up of the barn owl as normally they like to hide at the back but this one came right up to us.

Piglets being bottle fed

Sleepy Piglets

          Piglets having their feed off Mom

Deer Following Us

Our Deer Friend

This deer was so sweet it followed us the whole way round on our work, all of the other deer would run to the opposite side of the field.

Sleepy Fox

Foxes curl up together

8 Day old Elvis

This little fella Elvis, was so cute, he was only 8 days old. I tried to get some pictures of him but he was always hiding by his Mom. I was very jealous of the girl holding him as I would of loved to of had cuddles, but I managed to get a good picture.

Me feeding an Alpace

Wallabe

Meerkat

Meerkat looking at Jimmy

Inquisitive Meerkats

These Meerkat’s were so cute and I loved how inquisitive they were. Inside the gift shop they had a Meerkat in a cage which had been hand reared so that’s why he wasn’t with the others. The lady in shop was the only one that could pick him up, I asked if I could take a picture of him out of the cage, it was so sweet as he nuzzled her.

This is Zane the Meerkat having cuddles with his Mom.

I would recommended going to The Little Owl Farm as it was a great day out for all the family. Lots of animals to see, some you can even pet and feed, play areas for the kids some inside some out like basketball and bouncing pillows – maybe even the grown ups might have a bounce. They have picnic areas so you can make the day of it and go back and see you favourite animals, a bit like me, my boyfriend had to drag me away from the baby goat… but he was so cute.

While I was in the gift shop I got some goose and turkey eggs as I thought it would be nice to use them in my baking from my day out here. I was a little surprise that the goose eggs were larger than the turkey, given the size of the bird themselves.

I also got some large chicken eggs which the lady said should be double-yolkers, which I’m hoping they’re as I’ve never had a double yolker before before.

I told the lady there I was going to do some baking with the goose and turkey eggs, she said to post some pictures on their Facebook page as she would like to see the comparison of my cakes and how they turned out using the different eggs.

I thought for the comparison between the goose and turkey eggs, I would just do basic plain sponge cupcakes, this way I will be able to see the difference between them visually and also the taste as there won’t be any extra add ins like chocolate chips, fruit or nuts, the only thing I will be adding is some vanilla paste.

Each of the cupcakes will have the same ingredients butter, caster sugar, flour and vanilla paste, the only difference being the egg itself.

I will be posting the comparison on my cupcakes with the different eggs soon.

        Trip out to The Little Owl Farm I went to The Little Owl Farm in Worcestershire with my boyfriend at the weekend, it was a beautiful sunny day and a great day out.

[josephkitchen0]

How Do Chickens Lay Eggs?

“I can’t buy your eggs anymore,” was the astonishing announcement made by a college student who had been one of my best customers. I had to know what was going on. “Well, my husband was talking to your husband, and my husband found out that hens poop and lay eggs out of the same opening.” Oh. When some people make up their mind, there’s just no reasoning with them. But we’re reasonable people, you and I, so let’s explore the question “how do chickens lay eggs?” and why it’s not a problem that it comes out of the same opening as you-know-what.

A pullet starts life with two ovaries, but as she matures, the right ovary remains undeveloped and only the left one becomes fully functional. The functioning ovary contains all the undeveloped yolks, or ova, the pullet started out with. Exactly how many that is depends on which egg-spert you ask. Estimates range from 2,000 to 4,000, or even more. At any rate, from the day she enters this world, each female chick carries with her the beginnings of all the eggs she could possibly lay during her lifetime, but few hens lay more than about 1,000 of the possible total.

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If you ever have occasion to examine a hen’s innards, you will find a cluster of undeveloped egg yolks along her backbone, approximately halfway between her neck and tail. Depending on the hen’s age and how long she’s been laying, the yolks will range from head-of-a-pin size to nearly the full size you’d find in one of her eggs. In a pullet, or a hen that’s taking a break from laying (such as during a molt), or an elderly hen that’s no longer laying, all of the ova are small because none is developing in preparation for laying the next egg.

When a pullet reaches laying age, or a hen comes back into lay after a break, one by one the yolks mature, so at any given time her body contains yolks at various stages of development. Approximately every 25 hours, one yolk is mature enough to be released into the funnel of the oviduct, a process called ovulation, which usually occurs within an hour after the previous egg was laid.

If ovulation occurs too rapidly, or if one yolk for some reason moves too slowly through the oviduct and is joined by the next yolk, the pullet will lay an egg with two yolks. Double yolkers are typically laid by pullets before their production cycle becomes well synchronized, but may also be laid by heavy-breed hens, often as an inherited trait. Sometimes an egg contains more than two yolks; I once cracked open an egg that had three. The greatest number of yolks on record is nine in one egg.

During a yolk’s journey through the two-foot long oviduct, it is fertilized (if sperm are present), encased in various layers of egg white, wrapped in protective membranes, sealed within a shell, and finally enveloped in a fast-drying fluid coating called the bloom or cuticle.

When the process is complete, the shell gland at the bottom end of the oviduct pushes the egg into the cloaca, a chamber just inside the vent where the reproductive and excretory tracts meet — which means, yes, a chicken lays eggs and poops out of the same opening. But not at the same time.

The shell gland, which technically is the hen’s uterus, grips the egg so tightly that the gland gets turned inside out as it follows the egg through the cloaca and out through the vent. If you come along when a hen is laying an egg, and she happens to be facing away from you, you might catch a glimpse of the tissue — vividly red because it’s loaded with tiny blood vessels — briefly protruding around the edges of the vent before it withdraws back inside the hen as soon as the egg is laid.

This everted, or prolapsed, tissue presses against the intestinal opening to ensure it remains shut while the egg passes through the cloaca. So the egg — having been surrounded by protective uterus tissue — emerges clean. Droppings in a chicken nesting box are the result of activities other than laying, such as lingering in the nest after laying an egg, roosting on the edge of the nest, hiding in the nest to avoid being pecked, scratching in bedding material, and napping in the nest. Any filth you might find on an eggshell got there after the egg was laid.

So now you are armed with an answer to how do chickens lay eggs, ready to allay the fears of any of your friends or customers who might express concerns about the opening an egg comes out of. And by the way, those college students who stopped buying backyard chicken eggs from me did not give up eating eggs. They bought them at the supermarket, where (don’t you know?) eggs are manufactured in sanitary plastic cartons.

Talk about getting caught in the act! This photo, titled “Leghorn Pullet Laying An Egg” was sent by Molly McConnell, Minnesota. Reprinted from Backyard Poultry, February/March, 2007.

When Prolapse Becomes a Problem

Prolapse of the uterus is a natural process by which eggs are laid. If, however, an egg is too large, or a pullet is immature when she begins laying, the uterus may not readily retract back inside. Instead it remains prolapsed, a serious condition in which uterine tissue protrudes outside the vent. Unless you catch it in time, the exposed pink tissue will attract other chickens to pick, and the pullet will eventually die from hemorrhage and shock. Prolapse that progresses to this stage is called pickout or blowout. If you catch it right away, you may be able to reverse the situation by applying a hemorrhoidal cream, such as Preparation H, and isolating the pullet while she heals.

The problem may be largely avoided by preventing your mature hens (particularly heavy breeds) from getting too fat and by ensuring your pullets don’t start laying too young. A pullet that lays before her body is ready is more likely to have prolapse issues.

Under normal circumstances pullets reach maturity during the season of decreasing day length. If you raise pullets out of season, the increasing day length that normally triggers reproduction will speed up their maturity, more so the closer they get to laying age. Maturity may be delayed in pullets hatched from August through March by using controlled lighting.

Consult an almanac to determine how long the sun will be up on days occurring 24 weeks from the date of hatch. Add 6 hours to that day length, and start your pullet chicks under that amount of light (daylight and electric combined). Reduce the total lighting by 15 minutes each week, bringing your pullets to a 14-hour day by the time they start to lay. When they reach 24 weeks of age, add 30 minutes per week for 2 weeks to increase total day length to 15 hours.

Since spring is the natural season for hatching chicken eggs, pullets hatched from April through July and raised in natural light will mature at the normal rate, making them less likely to experience prolapse issues.

Gail Damerow is the author of Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, The Chicken Encyclopedia, The Chicken Health Handbook, Your Chickens, Barnyard in Your Backyard, and Fences for Pasture & Garden.

Backyard Poultry covers common questions like “how do chickens lay eggs?” in our Poultry section.

Originally published in Backyard Poultry March / April 2010 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

How Do Chickens Lay Eggs? was originally posted by All About Chickens