Eggs

[Ken(West Derby)]

I recently purchased a box of lion branded eggs from the supermarket. Lo and behold the first eight I’ve opened have double yokes. That’s brilliant was my first reaction but it has set me thinking. Assuming each egg was from a different hen then it suggests that this is more than just a coincidence and that either:-
(a) Some genetic engineering has occurred to be able to produce hens with the capacity to lay double yokes. Nothing wrong with that I imagine.
or
(b) The hens are being fed with something that modifies their biological functioning.
Now if it’s the latter that makes me wonder if their feed has any link with GM crops, in which case are there implications for human beings? Alternatively, the farming community amongst TFR members might have a simpler explanation. Any thoughts please?

[% MAN]

Well if Mrs Ken gives birth to twins in nine months time I would get worried!!!

[marko]

We have a few Chickens at home. They have the run of the garden in the day and we hardly feed them any extra food, just a few vegetable peelings etc. We get an egg a day from each and from one of them around 80% are double yokers.
These hens are about as free range as you can get, one lays virtually all double yokers and the others never do. As far as I am aware they were all hatched from the same brood, so make of that what you will.

[Drone]

Marko,

Don’t know if you grow Brassicas but chickens are very fond of them. At this time of year over-wintered ‘blown’ sprout and broccoli tops abound and they can’t get enough of them.

We were given five Marans hens earlier this year and if current laying rates continue 200 eggs per year from each is likely; all of them so far have, to my knowledge, been single yolkers.

I would imagine a tendency to produce double yolks is more a characteristic of some breeds rather than a specific hen, though I wouldn’t be dogmatic about that as knowledge about this new, jolly enterprise of husbanding poultry is still in its infancy

Tasty eggs for sure

[marko]

Drone,

I believe ours are Marans, my wife was the driving force behind this venture and knows far more about it than me.

My contribution is to scour the local allotments for said sprouts and convince the growers that I have the perfect home for them. Earns me brownie points all round!

Tasty eggs, for certain!

[moehat]

Asked a farmer friend about this today and she said that hens are like people in that some are more prone to producing twins; however, she said that hens that do produce double yolks have a shorter lifespan, as it puts a great deal of pressure on them physically.

[And]

Wasn’t it Sainsbury’s that used to sell – maybe still does – boxes of guaranteed double – yolked eggs? I hope your hens don’t suffer ‘burnout,’ Marko…

[davidbrady]

AFAIK, it is possible by to check if an egg is a double-yolker by holding the egg up to an infra-red (or is it ultra-violet!) light.

[graysonscolumn]

Evidently this thread is now meant to be a reworking of the old Dr Seuss book –

Green Eggs and

SPAM

.

gc

Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.

[dave jay]

Hi all,

as the title states i am bored at work, so what are you guys upto, how are you enjoying the day, are you like me stuck in a very quite office? or are you out an about enjoying the day? keep me entertained ………………………………

.. I’m pretty bored atm, just going to a meeting which will probably turn into a big riot .. I’m quite looking forward to it.

[Author]

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