Hatch rate is 50 to 70 %, eggs are washed and treated as they are sold for consumption. The boxes are stamped with a Julian date, so that's how I pick out the freshest for hatching. Sometimes hatch rates are great, sometimes not so much. More than usual die in shell at lockdown I think due to poor nutrition on the breeder hens part. Some are just not fertile, as the company's run 1 roo to every 20 hens in a cage free warehouse situation. I continue to hatch them despite these setbacks, as the chicks that do survive are incredibly hardy, productive, and the feed conversion is incredible. I did an experiment with 20 day old chicks. 10 were heritage breeds or backyard mixes, and 10 were TJ chicks. I kept them separated and at 4 weeks the TJ chicks had consumed a little over half of what the heritage chicks had eaten, and I was not being skimpy. Eggs from the hens are huge and they rarely miss a day, and free range well.
