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

[misfitmorgan]

So sorry to hear that. Hope you are able to get some hatchables next time.

me too!!

That's pretty cool, misfitmorgan, I didn't know whole foods did that! As Steemroo said, our seramas turned on their chicks, yet they were upset when I took them out of their coop. I don't know what's in their heads, LOL. But the boy was getting a bloody butt and both of them had lots of feathers pulled out. I saw their mothers pecking at them, and being mean (human interpretation, as I think something else drove them to peck at 'em) Anyway, they're happily in the house now. I'm actually hoping we have 3 girls. Our one boy has quite a comb on him, and the other 3 are much smaller. So fingers crossed! We lost 3 hens this year, and I'd like to replace them with these that we hatched!

I won't let seramas raise big chicks again. These babes are only 4 1/2 weeks old. Way too young to be weaned. They couldn't care for themselves or defend themselves. It was quite sad.

i didnt know it either until i got back from the 3hrs trip down to whole foods lol.

 

[Steemroo]

Don't forget, there's a 3-digit code on most fertile egg cartons. It's the lay-date in however many days into the Julian or old calendar, so get an app or Google how to calculate how to convert the code to a current date.

 

[cluck-cluck]

i didnt know it either until i got back from the 3hrs trip down to whole foods lol.
Wow, 3 hours? That's dedication! LOL.

I do want to say, doing this, you need to deal with roosters, so if you're an urban chicken keeper, and you can't have roosters, I'd just get chicks at the local feed store, put mock eggs (or real eggs from the grocery store) under your hens until the chicks arrive, then slip the chicks under the hens the night they arrive. They're usually less than 3 days old and mama knows no different. This way you can order a few (2 or more) female chicks and avoid dealing with roos, except for the occasional mistake. I wanted to do that, but hubby (Steamroo) made me hatch again, promising to rehome the roos for me, which he's lucky we only appear to have one. Still, I only agreed because I lost 3 hens last year, and the flock is getting a little on the older side, so I wanted replacements ASAP. I got at least a month's head start with these chicks (meaning eggs will come at least a month earlier than had I ordered. Most places don't want to send until March as well, so then I got a 2 months head start.

Still, no more! Not until I can raise my roos and eat them IE we move to the country

 

[Peep_Show]

Don't forget, there's a 3-digit code on most fertile egg cartons. It's the lay-date in however many days into the Julian or old calendar, so get an app or Google how to calculate how to convert the code to a current date.

It's actually the packaging date, which -- hopefully -- is the lay date.

There's also a code that might read something like "P150" and this indicates where packed. Sorry, I don't know what those particular codes are!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Yes, it's the pack date. Lots of calendars also have the Julian date in small print on them.

Trader Joes by me doesn't carry fertiles but WF does. However the farm they come from is in Wisconsin. From there they make their way to the WF distribution center in Chicago. From there to our stores in St. Louis, MO. I've never seen fertile eggs there that were less than 2 weeks old.
Maybe I should get a permit and start selling them to WF.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Yes, it's the pack date. Lots of calendars also have the Julian date in small print on them.

Trader Joes by me doesn't carry fertiles but WF does. However the farm they come from is in Wisconsin. From there they make their way to the WF distribution center in Chicago. From there to our stores in St. Louis, MO. I've never seen fertile eggs there that were less than 2 weeks old.
Maybe I should get a permit and start selling them to WF.

As far as i can tell i think the wisconsin factory supplies the fertile eggs for all of the northwest. Trader joes in MI do not fertile eggs either.

The WF fertile eggs will have a date something like WI154 033 thast means it was from one of the wisconsin farms to the wisconsin factory and they were laid on feb 2nd. i learned all that when i went on my egg hunt lol.

Wow, 3 hours? That's dedication! LOL.

I do want to say, doing this, you need to deal with roosters, so if you're an urban chicken keeper, and you can't have roosters, I'd just get chicks at the local feed store, put mock eggs (or real eggs from the grocery store) under your hens until the chicks arrive, then slip the chicks under the hens the night they arrive. They're usually less than 3 days old and mama knows no different. This way you can order a few (2 or more) female chicks and avoid dealing with roos, except for the occasional mistake. I wanted to do that, but hubby (Steamroo) made me hatch again, promising to rehome the roos for me, which he's lucky we only appear to have one. Still, I only agreed because I lost 3 hens last year, and the flock is getting a little on the older side, so I wanted replacements ASAP. I got at least a month's head start with these chicks (meaning eggs will come at least a month earlier than had I ordered. Most places don't want to send until March as well, so then I got a 2 months head start.

Still, no more! Not until I can raise my roos and eat them IE we move to the country

i live in the country on 3 acres and the closest neighbor is over 2,000ft away at the closest point so no need to worry on roosters for me. i have 7 roosters already lol.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As far as i can tell i think the wisconsin factory supplies the fertile eggs for all of the northwest. Trader joes in MI do not fertile eggs either.

The WF fertile eggs will have a date something like WI154 033 thast means it was from one of the wisconsin farms to the wisconsin factory and they were laid on feb 2nd. i learned all that when i went on my egg hunt lol.
...

Right. So I imagine the P# in an earlier post implies a Pennsylvania farm.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Right. So I imagine the P# in an earlier post implies a Pennsylvania farm.

No Trader Joe just uses P and a number on all their packages because their Factory are all labeled with "Plant" numbers.

So P657 would be Plant #657

 

[Steemroo]

All interesting stuff. If the 3 digit code is the packaging date, which it seems to be, then we'd want it to be really low, then. However, I can't imagine they'd take more than a day or two to package...or could they? I guess they could, depending on factors.

 

[ronott1]

All interesting stuff. If the 3 digit code is the packaging date, which it seems to be, then we'd want it to be really low, then. However, I can't imagine they'd take more than a day or two to package...or could they? I guess they could, depending on factors.

The Julian code represents the day of the year, so you want the number to be close to today's number. Today is 040. Two weeks ago was 026. Eggs packed between those days would be good to hatch.

This is the chart which will help with understanding:

Julian Date Calender
(PERPETUAL)
Day

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Day
1

001

032

060

091

121

152

182

213

244

274

305

335

1
2

002

033

061

092

122

153

183

214

245

275

306

336

2
3

003

034

062

093

123

154

184

215

246

276

307

337

3
4

004

035

063

094

124

155

185

216

247

277

308

338

4
5

005

036

064

095

125

156

186

217

248

278

309

339

5
6

006

037

065

096

126

157

187

218

249

279

310

340

6
7

007

038

066

097

127

158

188

219

250

280

311

341

7
8

008

039

067

098

128

159

189

220

251

281

312

342

8
9

009

040

068

099

129

160

190

221

252

282

313

343

9
10

010

041

069

100

130

161

191

222

253

283

314

344

10
11

011

042

070

101

131

162

192

223

254

284

315

345

11
12

012

043

071

102

132

163

193

224

255

285

316

346

12
13

013

044

072

103

133

164

194

225

256

286

317

347

13
14

014

045

073

104

134

165

195

226

257

287

318

348

14
15

015

046

074

105

135

166

196

227

258

288

319

349

15
16

016

047

075

106

136

167

197

228

259

289

320

350

16
17

017

048

076

107

137

168

198

229

260

290

321

351

17
18

018

049

077

108

138

169

199

230

261

291

322

352

18
19

019

050

078

109

139

170

200

231

262

292

323

353

19
20

020

051

079

110

140

171

201

232

263

293

324

354

20
21

021

052

080

111

141

172

202

233

264

294

235

255

21
22

022

053

081

112

142

173

203

234

265

295

326

356

22
23

023

054

082

113

143

174

204

235

266

296

327

357

23
24

024

055

083

114

144

175

205

236

267

297

328

358

24
25

025

056

084

115

145

176

206

237

268

298

329

359

25
26

026

057

085

116

146

177

207

238

269

299

330

360

26
27

027

058

086

117

147

178

208

239

270

300

331

361

27
28

028

059

087

118

148

179

209

240

271

301

332

362

28
29

029



088

119

149

180

210

241

272

302

333

363

29
30

030



089

120

150

181

211

242

273

303

334

364

30
31

031



090



151



212

243



304



365

31