Your view: Can readers crack the puzzle of this double yolk egg calculation?

This letter sent to the Star was written by Michael Parker, Deepcar, Sheffield S36
Double yolk sent in by Michael ParkerDouble yolk sent in by Michael Parker
Double yolk sent in by Michael Parker

As per custom and practice, I recently bought a half dozen extra large eggs from Stocksbridge Co-op and upon cracking open two of them, I was consequently surprised to see that both of the said eggs had double yolks.

Similarly a few days later I repeated the process and once again found both eggs to have a double yolk, as did the fifth one I cracked open for frying the following day.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thereby leaving me wondering (a) as to what the odds are against getting one egg with a double yolk, let alone five such from the same half dozen box and (b) whether or not the same hen would be responsible for laying them; and if so over what time scale.

Hence I was wondering if any readers could shed any explanatory light.

Meanwhile, I’m now wondering if the remaining sixth egg will prove to be a double yolk as well? And if it does, how that will affect the calculations.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.