A pensioner claims each of the dozen eggs he bought from a Sainsbury’s store had a double yolk – at odds of ten octillion to one.

When Colin Hawkins started to make breakfast with the eggs he said he was surprised to see a double yolk in three of the eggs.

And he claims that the other eggs also had double yolks when he cracked them open throughout the course of the week.

Colin Hawkins claims each of the dozen eggs he bought from a Sainsbury's store had a double yolk. Pictured is a photo taken by Mr Hawkins of one of his double yolked eggs

Colin Hawkins claims each of the dozen eggs he bought from a Sainsbury’s store had a double yolk. Pictured is a photo taken by Mr Hawkins of one of his double yolked eggs

Mr Hawkins (right) bought the box of eggs as part of his weekly shop at the Sainsbury's store

Mr Hawkins (right) bought the box of eggs as part of his weekly shop at the Sainsbury's store

Mr Hawkins (right) bought the box of eggs as part of his weekly shop at the Sainsbury’s store

The 75-year-old said he was shellshocked at what had happened. He said: ‘I couldn’t believe it.

‘My sister and my niece were over visiting from Canada.

‘I broke the first three open and they were all double yolk.’ 

Mr Hawkins bought the box of eggs as part of a weekly shop at the store in Stanway, Essex, as he prepared for a visit from his sister and niece who were on holiday from Canada.  

Mr Hawkins alleges he had an egg-stra surprise when he cracked open his final egg.

He said: ‘The last one was a really big egg. I put it on Facebook and I got a message from Australia from someone saying they had once found a triple yolk egg and I was hoping it might be that.

‘But it was only a double and it completed the dozen.’

Double yolks are caused by rapid ovulation in young hens.

It means two yolks are released quickly into the chicken’s oviduct and into the same shell.

Yolks are usually released an hour apart but changes to the hen’s hormones or an over active ovary can cause the double yolks.

Young hens usually produce more double yolks than older birds, but there are certain breeds who are known to be more active.

The odds of finding a double yolk in a standard carton of large eggs – like the one Mr Hawkins purchased – is put at 1,000-1.

But the odds of getting another in the same packet narrows to roughly 100-1 for each subsequent egg.

For them all to be double yolks is 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000-1.

Mr Hawkins said he had spoken to the supermarket giant in a bid to find out how rare the egg-ccurrence was.

He added: ‘The odds seem unbelievable.

‘I bought them from Sainsbury’s in Stanway.

‘I contacted them to see if it was a regular occurrence and they had never heard of it.

‘I just took them as I needed them but it was incredible that it happened each time.

‘They are going to have a chat with their suppliers about it.’

Double yolks are often seen as a sign of good luck – or that somebody in the family is soon going to get pregnant with twins.

However, Norse mythology also suggests double yolks are a symbol of an upcoming death.

The most eggs ever found in one single egg shell is nine, while dwarf eggs which do not have any yolks whatsoever are becoming more and more popular.    



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