Appearance / Missing Eggs
Q: What is double yolk eggs? How are they formed?
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A: A double yolk occurs when a chicken releases two yolks into the same shell and are usually produced by young chickens whose reproductive systems have not fully matured. Double yolks can also come from older chickens nearing the end of their egg producing period. Eggs with double yolks are perfectly safe to eat. Some say it’s a sign of good luck to find them!
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The chance of getting a double yolk is said to be 1 in a 1000 but this is dependent on the age of the flock. It is possible to get more than one double yolk egg in the same dozen.
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Q: Is the internal appearance of eggs related to egg safety?
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A: Egg appearance is not usually related to food safety. Variation in color and appearance can be due to many factors:
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Blood or meat spot – Rupture of small blood vessel(s) in yolk at time of ovulation, or deposition of tissue during egg formation
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Cloudy egg white – Egg is extremely fresh
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Color of yolk – Influenced by pigments in feed in the hen’s diet
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Green ring on hard-cooked yolk – Result of overcooking egg, caused by sulfur and iron compound reactions on the yolk surface of the yolk
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Off-color egg white, i.e. pink, green or iridescent – Spoilage due to Pseudomonas bacteria, a very common type of bacteria that healthy people often carry without knowing it. This bacteria produces a greenish, fluorescent, water-soluble pigment in the egg white. If you come across an egg with an off-color egg white, DO NOT EAT.
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Black or green spots inside the egg – Results of bacterial or fungal contamination of the egg. If you come across an egg with black or green spots inside the egg, DO NOT EAT..
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Q: What does blood spot in an egg mean? Is the egg okay to eat?
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A: People are accustomed to seeing perfect whites and yolks when they crack an egg so it’s understandable questions arise when that’s not the case. Eggs with blood spots (sometimes called meat spots) are fine to eat as long as they are properly cooked. Most eggs with anomalies like these are detected by electronic spotters and never reach the market, but it’s impossible to catch them all. Blood or meat spots are caused by the rupture of a blood vessel on the yolk surface when it’s being formed or by a similar accident in the wall of the oviduct in the hen’s reproductive tract..