Poor Mabel.
Suddenly, our Red Star stopped laying for nearly 2 weeks. Since she started back up, ovulation has been a little out of the ordinary.
The first egg was a (beloved) double yolker.
The second egg was the monster pictured. It’s nearly 3 1/4 inches long, and 6 1/2 inches around. It looks like a double fused with a single. Or, maybe it’s 2 doubles. I don’t know; we haven’t cracked the bad boy yet.
Until we reveal the cracking of the freaky egg via video, I want to know what you think.
How many yolks do you think are in Mabel’s giant egg?
Have any of your chickens produced eggs like this, especially after a break in laying? Do you have any idea why this happens? I’d love to hear your stories. Or, share your photos with us on the Community Chickens Facebook page!
Contact the writer at rachel@hurdanger.com, or visit her website.
Photos: Rachel Hurd Anger
6 Comments
I’m guessing there’s space for 3! Must have had the egg factory shooting them down the pipe before the wrapping department was back from vay-cay!! She deserved a treat after that one!
I’m betting on two yolks.
In addition to measuring it, I hope you weighed that egg. I don’t track length or girth, but I do track weight. My lil’ Leghorns are always surprising me with bigguns. In addition to the USDA’s Peewee, Small, Medium, Large, eXtra-Large, and Jumbo size classes, I have added my own: Ouch! (78.0 g), Ouch^2! (85.1 g), Ouch^3! (92.1 g), Ouch^4! (99.2 g), Ouch^5! (106.3 g), and Ouch^6! (113.4 g). My girls’ record is 108 some-odd grams (two huge yolks) — the poor girl must have been walking bow-legged for days.
Lance ==)—————–
We just had an egg that was a little bigger than yours and it was a 3 yolker
Interesting, Tom! Thanks for the insight. I can’t wait to crack it open and find out, but I’m sure you’re right.
It will be a double at best. We get them when hens are just coming into lay or returning after a molt. Their bodies are getting back into the groove and lay big, small, and odd eggs.
Hens’ reproductive systems assemble the eggs inside out, as it travels through them. When it gets to the last stage, it is wrapped in the shell. They are making a new egg before the last one leaves their body. Due to stress, or just coming into lay, they get delayed in forming the shell. Sometimes, the timing is just right and a second yolk will drop into the “shell wrapping area” before the shell has formed. The timing does not allow for a triple yolker. Everything I’ve seen and read indicates that no one has seen a triple.
I don’t have chickens, so your guess is probably better than mine, but oddly enough, I think it’s only going to be one or two yolks. 🙂
I look forward to hearing what you find!