Britain's 'first' recorded twin ducklings make a show

Honey · October 31st, 2009, 09:27 AM

If you're wondering why these cheeky chicks look so close, there's a good reason.
The pair are believed to be Britain's first recorded twin ducklings - hatched from the same egg.
Farmer Roger Olver thought he was quacking up when he saw two beaks pecking their way out of a shell.

Birds of a feather: Twin ducklings Romulus and Remus hatched from the same egg which is said to be a rare occurrence as one embryo will be more dominant

Experts are bemused because they say where two embryos grow in the same egg, one will normally be more dominant, thriving at the expense of the other.
Mr Olver rears 300 ducks a week at the Cornish Duck Company in St Austell, Cornwall. But this pair - Romulus and Remus - will to be spared the dinner table and become pets.
He said: 'They are in perfect health. They're looking pretty good, bearing in mind they were cooped up together in the same shell.'

Handful: Farmer Tanya Dalton with Romulus and Remus. Tanya and partner Roger were hatching a group of eggs but one egg was left at
the end unopened. They saw two beaks peck through

Ready to hatch: The twin ducklings beaks peck their way out of the egg

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222949/A-quacker-double-Britains-recorded-twin-ducklings-make-show.html#ixzz0VWHnDPPD