My girlfriend cracked open her farm pasteurized egg this morning and found a yolk in addition to a fully formed smaller egg. Anyone know how this happens?
Yes. (Usually the smaller inside egg is yolk-free.) The inner egg was formed first, with the shell forming around a bit of egg-white (albumin). Then the small egg was too small to trigger the laying process that day and got encapsulated by the next day’s regular sized yolk and albumin as the shell was created around it. Then the new egg was laid as usual, but with a surprise inside! Sometimes a small egg is laid by itself. If you keep chickens you’ll see this on occasion. Of course the tiny ones don’t make it into the shops, just as mis-shapen eggs and super large eggs rarely get that far. Here is a related article: http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/double-yolked-eggs-twice-the-fun-in-one-shell/?blogger=jpitino
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WOW !!! Cool. I have never seen this.
Yes. (Usually the smaller inside egg is yolk-free.) The inner egg was formed first, with the shell forming around a bit of egg-white (albumin). Then the small egg was too small to trigger the laying process that day and got encapsulated by the next day’s regular sized yolk and albumin as the shell was created around it. Then the new egg was laid as usual, but with a surprise inside! Sometimes a small egg is laid by itself. If you keep chickens you’ll see this on occasion. Of course the tiny ones don’t make it into the shops, just as mis-shapen eggs and super large eggs rarely get that far. Here is a related article: http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/double-yolked-eggs-twice-the-fun-in-one-shell/?blogger=jpitino
Here is an article on that exact subject! http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/how-a-chicken-lays-an-egg-inside-another-egg/?blogger=jpitino
awesome! thanks brigid!