Trader Joes & Other Grocery Store Egg Hatching Club - Are you a Member

[gryeyes]

Possibly or else it's another marketing ploy for people who just want to hatch chicks as a project.....

Not all Trader Joe's offer the fertile eggs, mostly in California, where we have the "odd" folks who think consumer eggs are better if they are cage free and if listed as fertile, means some rooster was involved, which is as close as they want to get to keeping their own chickens for eggs. Less appearance of "factory" chicken production. The marketing ploy is for people wanting to eat "the most natural."

Trader Joe's stores have no idea we try to hatch their eggs. Trust me. I've had discussions and email exchanges with the company.

I have a TJ hen I hatched in January 2011; gave two of her sisters away to folks starting their own flocks. Josie is the one I kept. She's an egg-laying machine!

 

[cluck-cluck]

Well, my six TJ's are a month old. I got another added bonus lesson. Don't buy leghorns, unless you like meth-addicted speed freak chickens!

We've been hand-holding and taking care of them, but they are just the most skittish little things!

RIchard in Neenach

LOL, so funny! I kept holding mine, especially my first two hens, and they ended up very docile toward me (they do the squat when I reach for them, LOL) The second two I didn't spend as much time with, but they're pretty ok as well. Just haven't done the squat for me, LOL. They aren't laying yet, but the first two, man, great eggs! Almost one a day each!

As a matter of fact, these guys are destined for the barbeque as soon as they're big enough.

Looks like a couple of hens and four roosters. I have them in a grow out brooder, and they're just so nervous, you almost can't go in to give them food! The New Hampshires next door, meanwhile, crawl all over our arms as we take care every day.

They don't have hardly any meat on them, might be better for soup? I had a terrible ratio of male/female as well. First time, 3 boys, 2 girls, the second time 6 boys 2 girls! Ugh!

Mine were skittish when they were chicks too, but they've really calmed down as young adults. Yours may as well. I wouldn't eat the hens, I'd keep them as layers, they're fantastic!

I can finally join soon! I've been scouring markets and health food places for fertile eggs, and I finally found some today! I've got to wait for the duck eggs to get out of the incubator this weekend, but once its cleaned good, I'm getting eggs and keeping my fingers crossed! I'll post information about the store where I found the eggs and the brand of the eggs once I have them in hand.
I just hatched chicken eggs (not store-bought) this week for my biology classes, and already have more reservations for chicks than I have chicks! The backyard chicken phenomenon is really catching on in our area, and I'm happy to contribute to it! And darn, that just means I have to hatch more!

Congratulations! Hope you end up with a great hatch!

Am I the only one who doesn't feel this way? The leghorns may fly more but I find them just as calm. I love my TJ rooster. I'm gathering some of his eggs to hatch - not eggs he layed but eggs he fertilized them. I'm going to have yo get a picture of him soon for you all.

Mine too. Loved my boys, and was lucky to find a home for them because I really loved them. Just couldn't keep them.

 

[Manningjw]

I couldn't find any fertile eggs in a store near me :\ oh well!

I couldn't either here in Washington State. So far I have checked two Trader Joes (which have free range/organic, but not labeled "fertile"), Whole Foods, and PCC grocery stores.

Anyone in this thread know where I might be able to find some store bought fertile eggs so I can join in on the fun? I wonder if California eggs have specific labeling as "fertile" because of state law requiring such a label if they are possibly fertile... I cannot imagine people looking for fertile eggs for eating.

 

[Manningjw]

Hm. Seems like no one from Washington State has found fertile eggs in stores?

I wonder if the TJ's eggs that are simply labeled cage free/organic might be fertile and California just mandates them be labeled that way?

If anyone in my state has found fertile white eggs in stores I'd love to know where!

 

[Cotton42]

I'm pretty sure the reason why fertile eggs are so prevalent in southern California is because of the Latino population. I remember reading somewhere that there is preference in Latino cultures for fertile eggs over infertile eggs. I could be totally wrong though.

 

[chickenlover135]

Does anybody know if They sell fertile Eggs In Chicago. Plz Help

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Call both TJ and WF, talk to the dairy manager. They'll know.
My WF in St. Louis carries them via the Chicago distribution center. The eggs are from Wisconsin. None of mine hatched but they were 15 days old and traveled a circuitous route so you might have luck with them.
My TJ never carried them.

 

[loves2hatch]

After finding this page. I searched TJ and found no fertile eggs there but I did at WF. I bought a dozen at Whole foods last week. They were light brown eggs. the date was marked so they were a week old or rather packed a week before I bought them. When I brought them home I candled them, a few had bad air cells (I never saw what that looked like before. but now know what everyone is talking about with this). I weighed them all let them set overnight. numbered and marked on the egg what they looked like porous, broken cell, or good. and charted it. I set them on Feb 14th. I candled tonight and looks like nothing so far. I don't even see the air cell. I put quail eggs in 2 days before this and I see air cell and veins. So I don't think I'm going to get anything from these eggs. I'll candle them again when I take the quail eggs out for hatching next week. These quail only take 17 days to hatch. So I know they develop faster then the chicks but I would have thougth I would have seen at least a air cell by now. I'm doing dry incubation so I know my humidity isn't to high. I do see dark blobs which I think is the yolk, a couple of these blobs moved when I turned the eggs, and they were in the eggs that I had marked as good eggs. sigh. I guess I'll know more next week but it doesn't look promising so far.

 

[ellandeeranch]

After finding this page. I searched TJ and found no fertile eggs there but I did at WF. I bought a dozen at Whole foods last week. They were light brown eggs. the date was marked so they were a week old or rather packed a week before I bought them. When I brought them home I candled them, a few had bad air cells (I never saw what that looked like before. but now know what everyone is talking about with this). I weighed them all let them set overnight. numbered and marked on the egg what they looked like porous, broken cell, or good. and charted it. I set them on Feb 14th. I candled tonight and looks like nothing so far. I don't even see the air cell. I put quail eggs in 2 days before this and I see air cell and veins. So I don't think I'm going to get anything from these eggs. I'll candle them again when I take the quail eggs out for hatching next week. These quail only take 17 days to hatch. So I know they develop faster then the chicks but I would have thougth I would have seen at least a air cell by now. I'm doing dry incubation so I know my humidity isn't to high. I do see dark blobs which I think is the yolk, a couple of these blobs moved when I turned the eggs, and they were in the eggs that I had marked as good eggs. sigh. I guess I'll know more next week but it doesn't look promising so far.

My first batch of TJ's eggs were all clears, too, so don't feel bad. The next batch worked, so now I have six verrrrryyyy hyperactive leghorns that are going to be fryers in the near future!

Richard in Neenach, California

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I didn't do this but will in the future. Start cracking eggs to look for fertiles. If you don't find any then you have perfectly good eating eggs. If you come across a fertile, incubate the rest.