Are Trader Joe's eggs fertile? How about Whole Foods?

[XxPandaxX]

I have heard of people popping eggs in the ole' bator from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I'm from Michigan, does anyone know if they will be fertile? I have seen pictures of the egg cartons saying "FERTILE EGGS". Do I NEED these types of eggs, or could the regular organic eggs do? I've never hatched eggs before, and I have a home made incubator (A towel and a 75 Watt heat lamp in a plastic container LOL) . Do I need to get a commercial bator, and how many eggs should I pop in there? I want a hen and a roo :3 And also, what could become of these eggs ? SI many questions ! Haha ! Thanks for reading

 

[Judy]

It just might work -- though usually a thermostat is recommended. I've never used an incubator, myself. A quick search on here will give lots of threads about homemade incubators. There are even threads about hatching an egg by keeping it in a bra....

People have hatched chicks, occasionally, from plain old store bought cheap eggs, never mind Trader Joe eggs and eggs sold as fertile. Obviously you shouldn't expect a high hatch rate, though. If they don't hatch, they will eventually rot and can even explode. You might consider checking out candling.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have heard of people popping eggs in the ole' bator from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I'm from Michigan, does anyone know if they will be fertile? I have seen pictures of the egg cartons saying "FERTILE EGGS". Do I NEED these types of eggs, or could the regular organic eggs do?

There are several threads on here about hatching Trader Joe's eggs. Just do a search on Trader Joe.

You can crack an egg or two to look for the bull's eye. If one has the bull's eye, others probably do. This link has photos of what to look for,

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008&p=6

You are much more likely to get fertile eggs from the cartons marked "fertile eggs". There is absolutely nothing about them being "organic" that requires a rooster to be around. People selling those eggs are usually in it to make money. They generally don't want to pay to feed a rooster that won't lay eggs and will eat feed if not necessary for the process. But as Judy said, it is possible.

Another thing about those eggs, they are refrigerated. The colder they are kept and the longer they are kept at those cold temperatures, the less likely you are that they will hatch. Also the older they are the less likely they are to hatch. That does not mean they won't hatch, just that they are less likely to hatch.

I've never hatched eggs before, and I have a home made incubator (A towel and a 75 Watt heat lamp in a plastic container LOL) . Do I need to get a commercial bator, and how many eggs should I pop in there? I want a hen and a roo

How many eggs is your decision. First there is no guarantee that they will all hatch, even with a commercial incubator. Then each chick that hatches has a 50-50 chance of being either male or female. The more you hatch, the better your odds of getting at least one of each. If you hatch 2 chicks, the odds are 50% that you will get one of each, but the odds are also 50% that you will get either all male or all female. With three that hatch, your odds improve to 75%. I once got 7 female and no males. The odds of that happening are less than 1%, but it can happen. There are no guarantees.

People make homemade incubators and they work. People make homemade incubators and they don't work. I have no idea whether yours will work or not.

:3 And also, what could become of these eggs ?

They might hatch. They might set there so long they dehydrate. If bacteria gets inside, they might explode. If bacteria gets inside, the moisture, food source, and temperature are the perfect conditions for rapid growth. If you keep your hands clean when you handle them, clean out your incubator really well before you start incubating, and don't incubate dirty eggs the odds of them getting bacteria inside are pretty slim, at least for the three weeks of incubation. It can happen and it is a real smelly stinky mess when it does happen, but I have not hade an egg explode or even start to smell since one exploded under a broody hen in my childhood decades ago. Some people have it happen more often. We all do it differently and take different precautions.

I see you have already started. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/687780/started-incubating-store-bought-eggs-today

 

[XxPandaxX]

Thank you so much ! :3 I started, but I'm going to call Whole Foods and Trader Joe's today, and pop a few more in since learning more about hatch rates and such. I might finally be starting my flock

 

[XxPandaxX]

Thanks. I'll definitely be candling lol.

 

[XxPandaxX]

MWAHAHAHAHA ! Whole Food's eggs are fertile

I know what I'LL be doing today...