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

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
The Trader Joes chicks we have hatched have always been little yellow chicks, too. Ours turn out to look like white leghorns. With our first one, Joey, we guessed Trader Joe's supplier around here uses a hybrid leghorn called Hyline W-36, since Joey is very docile and friendly, not flighty like a typical leghorn.

 

[Hottchick]

Wow. This could be dangerous. I only buy the eggs that say cage free until all of my girls are laying and keeping me in eggs. I have a borrowed incubator, waiting impatiently for shipped eggs.

I don't see the flighty in Leghorns. I had 3, 2 unfortunately were killed but the one I have left is the sweetest girl ever. She lets you pet her like a dog and when you pick her up she snuggles in and closes her eyes. Maybe it's because we've had her her whole life and she's been messed with every day.

 

[Liamm_1]

Quote:
I had first planned to order the Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco, but they could not deliver right away. It's for my son'd science project which is due next month, so couldn't wait. I decided to make one out of an old Igloo ice chest, but having a hard time keeping a constant temp.
Can anyone answer this: I'm thinking the ideal spot for an incubator would be an interior closet, no windows, temp won't change much if door is closed mostly. The bedroom the incubator is in now, the temp changes from night/day, etc., and I'm thinking a more consatnt temp surrounding is the answer. Do any of you keep your incubators in a closet?

 

[jettgirl24]

Has anyone used their supermarket chickens as meat birds? Were they good for this purpose or not so much? I'm kind of thinking about hatching some for a free range meat bird flock.

 

[gryeyes]

"Supermarket" chickens are true layers. Not dual purpose. Don't think they'd serve the purpose of meat birds all that well.

 

[jettgirl24]

That's kind of what I figured but thought it might be worth a try

 

[Peep_Show]

I had a n-a-s-t-y mean leghorn roo that I thought would be a great candidate for the soup pot. Turns out after the deed was done about all he was was just mean as it was the scrawniest carcass I'd ever seen.... Strict laying birds make skimpy meat. He must've been all 'tude because he couldn't have been 2 lbs nekkid.

HOWEVER, that being said, I had a freezer full of male Cinnamon Queens that made some nice fryers after some grow-to-crow time....not near as pretty plump as quick as the Cornish X birds, but a nice dinner chicken all the same. Of course, the CQ's are a dual-purpose cross of RIR roo and SLW hens, neither of the parent stock of which are particularly light in weight nor considered merely an egg bird.

 

[Liamm_1]

All chickens are at a minimum dual purpose. I processed a Sumatra cockerel at 20 weeks. His skinned, gutted weight was 1.85 lbs., but he made a delicious slow roasted chicken!

 

[jettgirl24]

All chickens are at a minimum dual purpose. I processed a Sumatra cockerel at 20 weeks. His skinned, gutted weight was 1.85 lbs., but he made a delicious slow roasted chicken!thumbsup

I suppose that is true... After all a lot of people eat quail... You're definitely not going to find a chicken with less meat than that!​

 

[Liamm_1]

Day 6 and 20/24 showing signs of development. Hope they continue