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Egg farmer reveals secret behind hens laying double and triple-yolkers near Huntly

The odds of a triple-yolk egg are 25 million to one.

Alex Long loves the hens on Stonyfield farm. Image: Supplied by Stonyfield farm.
Alex Long loves the hens on Stonyfield farm. Image: Supplied by Stonyfield farm.

Customers at a farm near Huntly are regularly being treated to double-yolk eggs – and some have even reported cracking triple-yolkers.

The chance of receiving a double-yolk egg is reportedly one in 1,000.

However, a customer has reported to Stonyfield farm that around 60% of the eggs they receive have been double yolks.

Two customers have even reported that they have received triple yolks.

These are incredibly rare with a likelihood of one in 25 million.

Hens at the farm have free range. Image: Supplied: Stonyfield Farm.

What’s the secret behind so many double-yolk eggs?

Stonyfield Farm is run by Maisie Long, 45, and her husband Geoff, 61, with help from their kids Alex,11, and Caitlin,12.

Maisie says the secret of how they achieve the rate of double yolks is down to happy hens.

Maisie said: “We’re very proud of the way we look after our hens.

“We have over 1,000 with most being Rhode Island Reds, Sussexes, and Leghorns.

These breeds are more prone to producing double yolks.

“They are completely free range, so when you come to the farm, they are all out and about.

“We make sure they have fresh water and clean bedding every day, all of this is such a big factor in the quality of our eggs.

Is the secret to multi-yolk eggs happy hens? Farmers at Stonyfield think they’ve cracked the code. Image: Supplied by Stonyfield.

Happy Huntly Hens are at the double

“Our hens are housed in small sheds that hold between 40 and 80.

“Quite often you will see large sheds for hens holding up to 1,000, where they are on top of each other. We make sure our hens have plenty of space.

“Our goal is to give them the happiest life possible.”

Maisie said: “We didn’t even know triple yolks were a thing.

“One was from a batch of large eggs, and then another was a very large egg that we gave to someone.”

Customers egg-static with Stonyfield double yolks

Huntly egg lover Debbie Morrison, 41, gets deliveries from Stonyfield every week and told the Press and Journal that most of them have double yolks.

She even cracked an egg to discover a triple-yolker.

She said: “The egg was huge so expected it to be a doubler but we were shocked to see three yolks in the pan!

“Maisie, Geoff and the kids go out of their way to deliver eggs and their delicious homemade pies to us, they are so friendly and helpful to us and others in our area.”

We spoke to customers who got a nice surprise when they cracked eggs from Stonyfield. Image: Supplied by Stonyfield Farm.

Yvonne Fidom from Inverurie bought a lottery ticket after getting lucky with a triple-yolk.

The 54-year-old said: “We’ve been getting eggs from the farm for around three months.

My son has been getting a fair few double and I was lucky enough to have a triple.

After my husband told me that the chances of the triple were 25 million to one, I made sure to buy a lottery ticket. Unfortunately, we weren’t so lucky that time!”

Family passion for egg farming

The family moved to the farm from Cumbria, where they had a cattle and sheep farm, in May 2023.

Keen to get their kids involved with the family business, they decided to follow their passions.

Alex, 11. Image: Supplied by Stonyfield Farm.

Maisie said: “It’s through me that you place your order for eggs, I deliver the eggs with Caitlin or Alex too. I think it gives a really good service and personable feel.

“The kids weren’t very interested in the beef and sheep farming.  We want them to be involved, therefore we took on goats which is Caitlin’s passion, and hens which are Alex’s.

“Alex is over the moon and he’s so pleased that everyone loves his eggs! It’s a real passion for him and he works hard. It’s great to see the results that he has been getting.”

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