11 double-yolk eggs. (Photo: Shelbyc/CC BY-SA 3.0)
Occasionally, hens lay eggs with two yolks in them. It’s relatively rare: it happens when a chicken ovulates twice in quick succession, and the chances of finding a double-yolked egg are about one in 1,000. But in one kitchen in Teddington, UK, a suburb of London, a 17-year-old found double yolks in every single egg in a carton of a dozen:
Tom Tosetti says he bought this box of eggs at Tesco, and based on the video above, either he’s a very good actor or he was as surprised as everyone else. It is a remarkable occurrence: The odds of finding 12 eggs with double yolks are one in a thousand trillion.
Double yolks have a certain portend associated with them: in folklore, they’re associated with fertility and good fortune. Some people believe finding a double yolk foreshadows pregnancy or even twins; others believe it’s just a sign of general good luck.
There’s less folk wisdom about what it means to find 12 double yolks in a row. There are a few other stories of crazy runs of double-yolk eggs: in the past few years, one person found six in a row, and another found 10. There’s even another story of 12 double-yolked eggs in one carton. It’s also possible for a hen to lay an egg with more than two yolks. The record is 9.
Tosetti seems to feel pretty good about his find. We’ll give the last word to the "yolksman from Tesco," who spoke to the Kingston Guardian: "This is cracking news for Tom; he's clearly got eggsellent luck.”
Every day, we highlight one newly found object, curiosity or wonder. Discover something amazing? Tell us about it! Send your finds to sarah.laskow@atlasobscura.com.