Twins... now what?

[CabritaChicks]

Okay—I've hatched oodles of eggs over the years, but this is a first for me… I’ve got twins developing inside a single egg.
And of course, it had to be from my Easter Egger—the one I was really hoping would hatch normally and without complications.

Yes, there are two embryos in one shell, and I’m feeling a mix of awe and worry. I’ve read scattered information online, but I’d really appreciate insight from people who’ve experienced this firsthand.

Here are some things I’m wondering at 3am in the morning.

• Have you ever successfully hatched twin chicks from the same egg?
• What’s the actual probability of both embryos making it to hatch day alive?
• How common is it for one or both embryos to stop developing or die late in incubation?
• Are there any specific changes to humidity or temperature that improve chances of survival in twin cases?

If you’ve got any advice, stories, or even cautionary tales, I’d love to hear them. Thanks everyone!

 

[Blue is my chicken]

@New duck mommy 2021 @WVduckchick

I personally haven't had any twin eggs but hopefully they can help. Hope it all works out for you.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I personally never have tried to hatch a double yolked egg. I try to not set them to start with. There are some very old threads on this forum from people that have but I don't have a link to those threads. Maybe you could find them. It has been a few years since I read any of those threads. As I remember they are often not successful. It's not an ideal set-up.

Occasionally they had one hatch. One of the embryos doesn't develop or, if it does, it does not make it through hatch. But the other embryo does. So there is a possibility that you could get one.

There were a very few that got two chicks from a double yolked egg. Extremely rare. This usually involved a person assisting the hatch because there were problems. It was so crowded in the egg that the chicks could not position themselves to internal pip or zip.

Before you assist they need to dry up the blood vessels in the membrane around them at the same time so they don't bleed to death if you try to help. They need to absorb the yolk at the same time before they hatch. It can be challenging to determine when to help a single chick if it needs help. Much more challenging if you have two chicks in the same egg. They need to get ready for hatch on the same schedule. If one gets ahead of the other the one behind can be in trouble.

As I said, I try to avoid it. I don't need that stress and drama in my life. If you decide to try it, good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[Susan Skylark]

So cool, and dangerous! There’s not really anything you can do except hover anxiously over hatching time. I’d guess 10% or less successful twin hatch, maybe 25-30% for a live single (random guess!), keep us posted!

 

[CabritaChicks]

So cool, and dangerous! There’s not really anything you can do except hover anxiously over hatching time. I’d guess 10% or less successful twin hatch, maybe 25-30% for a live single (random guess!), keep us posted!

Update: One Chick is larger- but not moving as much as I had hoped. The air sack is massive- which might mean bad news.

Absolutely! We’re just a few days away from lockdown, and I’ve kept the egg in the incubator. Hey—if it hatches into a two-headed mutant, I’ll love it just the same!

 

[WhiskeyTheRedd]

Twins do not usually survive hatch, or die pretty fast after. Id say youve got really low chances that it works without needing to cull them or they die. I hope it works out

 

[tripletfeb]

@CabritaChicks did the twins make it?

 

[CabritaChicks]

@CabritaChicks did the twins make it?

Sorry for not responding earlier. The twins were in fact twins (not an optical illusion or shadow), but did not make it. Looks like development stopped just before lockdown.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sorry for not responding earlier. The twins were in fact twins (not an optical illusion or shadow), but did not make it. Looks like development stopped just before lockdown.

Thanks for the update. Sorry it didn't work out.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Thanks for the update. Sorry it didn't work out.

I like to focus on the positives — those eggs traveled 3,800 miles to get to me! Out of six, one was infertile, three hatched, and while they definitely aren’t true to breed, they’re absolutely adorable. One of them has completely stolen my heart. She is so strange looking and sweet.

It wasn’t a perfect outcome, but honestly, it’s still better than having chicks that are too weak and losing them later despite all your efforts.

Im actually watching one of my Red Jungle Fowl intensely as I had to split the leg (lame) and now it is eating and drinking, but not developing like the others. The egg itself was so small- I would say a large quail egg? Praying this little one pulls through- but ugh. Special for sure. And I officially dont need any more chickens! haha.