I checked a nest today as there were two more eggs due to hatch and nothing had happened. Both eggs were discoloured indicating dead in shell chicks. I rarely get dead in shell chicks. Some new hens which get off the eggs the second chicks arive sometimes cause this issue and they stop warming the remaining eggs.

As I do, when I throw the eggs out I break them open and check the contents so i know whats going on.

In egg number one was a cold chick that looks like it would have hatched yesterday, but it didnt make it. Seemed to be the3 wrong way around in the egg and a larger than normal chick.

In the next egg, which seemed slightly larger, I realised at first the egg felt heavier as well as being larger, so I broke it open carefully to find......dead chicks...TWINS. As is the way with twins they very rarely make it to hatching. I have had twins hatch and live before but it is very rare. Recently I also had twins dead in shell in another nestbox.

This time it was different parents on round two, two chicks already hatched and going well.

Here are the photos

 

next to a normal sized egg

 

seen upon opening the egg

 

 

 

Aww, sorry for your losses xoxo

Aww, thats a shame. would have been nice if twin's hatched again.

Sad but a fact of life. Posted for those who wonder about twins.

and a good post it is, i had one a week ago as well in the egg, it looked dull in color like you would see in a dead animal of some sort. so i would say she stopped sitting the egg and focused on her bubs

So sorry they didnt make it :sad:

 

So awesome to get a double yolker that is fertile. With the amount of yolk left and the size of the egg... looks like the poor little things ran out of room too soon

So sorry they didnt make it :sad:

 

So awesome to get a double yolker that is fertile. With the amount of yolk left and the size of the egg... looks like the poor little things ran out of room too soon

Yes it was a tight fit. They were very intertwined.

That is very sad. But thank you for showing us because it was very informative.

aww sorry for your loss :emoticon112:

With me not being a breeder, l found it to be very interesting to see.

Edited June 20, 200915 yr by birdluv

That's very sad Kaz but interesting all the same. I'm guessing it wouldn't happen (having twins) too often though, would it? I'm very sorry it ended that way :emoticon112:

That's very sad Kaz but interesting all the same. I'm guessing it wouldn't happen (having twins) too often though, would it? I'm very sorry it ended that way

They rarely make it to hatching. I have had a pair make it to hatching and I still have the cock from that pair. Most twins die much earlier in the shell, often well before these two did.

Thanks for posting this Kaz, it's informative, and good for breeders and non-breeders alike. I'm sorry that they didn't make it.