It can be reasonably common to find two yolks in one egg and we often try to select them out (using a candling machine) and sell them separately as they are so highly prized.

Double yolks normally come from young hens that are just coming into lay.  When the hens first come into lay their ovaries are not fully developed and due to a hormone imbalance, they have several yolk follicles maturing at the same time which will release several yolks into the egg laying channel then enclosing them in the egg albumen and shell.  This is normally corrected within a couple of weeks however when their egg laying system settles down

 All of our farms are of course approved by both the Lion standard and the Freedom Food standard.  However, what we felt these standards lacked a grading structure for farms.  The audits will either pass or fail farms but they do not identify any exceptional ones.  To overcome this problem, we devised our own 10 point internal audit which includes both farm standards and animal welfare questions.  These points are marked on a scale that we devised and we have a dedicated field team who carry out the audits and are specially trained to ensure that their auditing standards are uniform.  Dependant on how the farms score on these audits, they will be graded bronze, silver, gold or platinum.  Only our very best farms in the gold and platinum grades will be chosen to become happy egg farms.

The colour of a yolk is due pigmenting carotenoids.  These pigments can be naturally occurring in certain feed ingredients or synthetic.  The happy egg co. has a policy of only using naturally occurring pigments such as marigold, grass or prairie meal.

All feed is produced according to the Agricultural Industry Confederation’s UFAS (Universal Feed Assurance) code.

A wider variation in colour can be expected in the yolks from happy egg as they are fed a natural diet and are free to roam outdoors gaining additional carotenoids from eating vegetation on the range.

The Nutritional value of the egg is not affected by the yolk colour.

• Eggs are one of the most nutrient dense foods that exist
• Eggs are a high source of protein containing all eight of the essential amino acids
• Eggs bearing the Lion Quality mark come from hens that have been vaccinated against salmonella
• An egg yolk contains B12 which aids the breakdown of fat
• Eggs are a high source of protein and will keep you feeling fuller for longer
• Eggs are one of the few foods that are naturally high in Vitamin D which is essential for healthy bones and teeth
• Eggs are good for your eyes because they contain lutein and zeaxanthin
• Eggs are a good source of iron
• Eggs contain choline which stimulates brain development, function and helps preserve the memory
• A medium egg contains less than 80 calories