Yolks - Yolkless Eggs

Yolkless Eggs

Eggs without yolk are called "dwarf" or "wind" eggs. Such an egg is most often a pullet's first effort, produced before her laying mechanism is fully ready. In a mature hen, a wind egg is unlikely, but can occur if a bit of reproductive tissue breaks away, stimulating the egg producing glands to treat it like a yolk and wrap it in albumen, membranes and a shell as it travels through the egg tube. This will occur if, instead of a yolk, the egg contains a small particle of grayish tissue. An archaic term for a no-yolk egg is a "cock" egg. Since these eggs contain no yolk and therefore can't hatch, it was traditionally believed that they were laid by roosters. This type of egg occurs in many varieties of fowl and has been found in chickens, both standard and bantams, guineas and coturnix quail. See Cock egg.