How Double Yolk Eggs are Formed in Female Chickens (Hen / Layers)

February 15, 2023May 28, 2023 Agric4Profits

Want to know what causes double yolk eggs? In this article, we are going to be looking at how double yolk eggs are normally formed in female chickens also referred to as hens or layers.

An egg is a spherical body that is usually produced by birds, insects, snakes, chickens, and other animals, which tends to house the embryo during its development.

The egg of a domestic fowl, most especially a hen, is normally used as food.

An egg is an important source of nutrients like proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals.

This also includes the growth factors that are required by the developing embryo and also a number of defense factors that help to protect against viral infection and bacteria.

90 to 95% of all the eggs are free of contamination at the very point of time they are laid in the hen house.

The primary function of an egg is to reproduce the species. The components of an egg are water, protein, and lipids, it also comprises carbohydrates and minerals but in small quantities.

For the egg yolk to form, it usually forms in the hen’s ovary, when the yolk gets to the right size, it is now released into the oviduct, where the remaining eggs are formed.

During this process in the oviduct, the next layer that will be added or formed is the egg white, which is called the albumen. Hence, this layer takes about three hours to form.

The egg yolk contains most of the egg’s good stuff like the bulk of its iron, vitamins, and folate, which are essential and good for the body compared to the egg whites.

The egg yolk contains two main nutrients which are Luten and Zeaxanthin, they tend to support eye health, brain health, and most especially heart health.

What causes Double Yolk Eggs

How Double Yolk Eggs are Formed in Female Chickens (Hen / Layers) — Double yolk egg

Double yolk eggs meaning? Double yolk eggs are usually produced by young chickens whose reproductive systems or organs have not fully matured.

This double yolk egg happens when a bird or chicken produces two yolks into the same shell.

Double yolk eggs can also be produced by an old fowl, but this can only happen when they are close to the end of their egg-producing period.

Eggs that contain double yolks tend to be very good and perfectly safe to eat, but the chance of having a double yolk egg out of 100% is said to be only 1% but this also depends on the age of the bird.

Double yolk eggs are usually not common, but if you have a poultry farm or raise birds (chickens), you may likely find some from time to time.

As earlier said, double yolk eggs are formed when two egg yolks are released into a bird’s oviduct (reproductive organ) very close together and become enclosed in the same shell.

According to research, an hour after a fowl lays an egg, the next yolk is said to be released, but due to some changes, which is called the hormonal change or the imbalance, an overstimulated ovary will sometimes fail to discharge and then tend to release the yolk too early.

Hence, the shell will form around both yolks and will now result in a single egg.

It is very common or rare to find doubled yolk eggs from new layers or those hens that are very close to the end of their laying life. Doubled yolk eggs in birds can be genetic or hereditary, which is rare among heavier breeds and hybrids.

Double yolk eggs normally will not hatch if they are incubated.

Fowls or chickens that lay a large egg or double-yolked eggs are liable to become egg bound or tend to suffer vent prolapse.

The yolk sac is known to be a positive and important indicator of pregnancy health.

Once seen or noticed, it is simply a confirmation that everything is well and the little nugget has started to develop.

A yolk sac is a shape that normally develops inside the uterus in early pregnancy.

The yolk sac helps to provide the embryo with nutrients and also helps to circulate gasses between the mother and the Festus and also makes cells that usually turn into important structures.

A yolk sac helps to provide important information about the health of a pregnancy, most especially when the size, location, and appearance are seen.

The yolk sac provides the embryo with food i.e. nourishment. It also helps circulate gasses between the woman and the embryo.

It is the yolk sac that is responsible for the production of cells that turns into important shapes, like the blood cells, umbilical cord, and reproductive organs.

The yolk sac also helps to confirm pregnancy, because it is among one of the first structures that a healthcare provider (doctor) can see during the prenatal ultrasound.

The doctor will see the yolk sac to examine the yolk sac’s appearance, size, and location.

And if the appearance or size or the location appears not to be abnormal, that means there is a problem with the pregnancy.

The following are functions of the yolk sac in pregnancy;

 Develops the earliest form of the blood cell.
 Makes the cells that turn into the umbilical cord and reproductive organs etc.
 Helps to deliver nutrients to the embryo.
 Helps to circulate gasses between the pregnant person and the embryo.
 And it also helps to provide early immune function and metabolism.

The yolk sac is normally located inside the gestational sac, it is a large cavity of fluid inside the uterus that tends to surround the embryo. It is usually attached to the outside of the developing embryo.

The yolk sac is usually around or pear-shaped pouch, it starts to develop mostly during the second week of the pregnancy, and it disappears after ten weeks of the pregnancy. It will gradually get smaller until it finally disappears.