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

[chick4chix]

I set twelve white TJ fertile eggs on Sat afternoon- today is Wed and I candled tonight- I have twelve spiders!!!

I have never hatched before, and wanted to "warm" up on practicing with eggs that are not $$$. I am so excited about this project- my grandkids are too! I will be curious as to how many make it, how many females to males are in the mix etc.

OH... and the "spider veins" are very visible and it's only been three and a half days

 

[TonysChickens]

I tried to get a set from whole foods but when I cracked them open, only 1 of 4 were fertile so I didn't try. I will get a trader joes set next time after I get my quail eggs...

 

[Peep_Show]

The neat thing about TJ's eggs is that they're real easy to detect embryo development or not due to the white shell. Marans will drive you NUTZ! Good luck all eggs! Keep us posted!

 

[jandrusrn]

Absolutely amazed... (and feeling a little silly) that I didn't think of this sooner. Haaaaa! Best of luck to all of you TJ'ers....

 

[chick4chix]

Just candled at day 6, and I have 10 (out of 12) embryos wriggling inside!!

Peepshow- you're so right - they are so easy to see, and I'm having a hard time not wanting to candle every day so I can just gaze at them- it's all so fascinating!

 

[jandrusrn]

Soooo, after being mesmerized by this thread.... as I was at Whole Foods for my morning juice, I happened to bop on back and got myself a lovely dozen deeeeeeep brown fertile eggs. What the hell am I doing??? I have 15 BBS Orpington eggs in one incubator, two hens in the yard, and one is all I'm allowed. BUT.... I just can't let this go.... good thing I don't have a problem.

I plan on putting them in the other incubator tonight. Am I mad? Deeeeeeep brown. I did a little research on the farm, and it looks like they have a bunch of different hens there. Now, I guess the only way to find out what kind I've got is to hatch them. Yup... that's reason enough, yep, that's the only reason... yeah... that's why. I'm not addicted... no way, not me. I don't know who I'm trying to convince, you or me.

Jane

 

[chick4chix]

Soooo, after being mesmerized by this thread.... as I was at Whole Foods for my morning juice, I happened to bop on back and got myself a lovely dozen deeeeeeep brown fertile eggs. What the hell am I doing??? I have 15 BBS Orpington eggs in one incubator, two hens in the yard, and one is all I'm allowed. BUT.... I just can't let this go.... good thing I don't have a problem.

Congrats on finding some fertile eggs in your area! I'm just as curious as you on what types they might be to give you such deeeeeeeep brown eggs- sooooooo eggciting! Post lots of picx for us all to enjoy. It looks like I've got 10 out of 12 so far still developing- one has a blood ring, and one has a thicker shell but it looks like a blood ring too- I"ll leave them both in a couple more days before removing- just in case there is something there I just can't see.

 

[jandrusrn]

Hmmmmm, so the WF eggs aren't really doing anything that's terribly visible.. I know they're dark brown, but really? Our box for candling is really bright and I'm just not seeing anything. Not gone to TJs yet. Patience isn't my virtue.... just someones.

 

[dovecanyon]

Hmmmmm, so the WF eggs aren't really doing anything that's terribly visible.. I know they're dark brown, but really? Our box for candling is really bright and I'm just not seeing anything. Not gone to TJs yet. Patience isn't my virtue.... just someones.

Whole Foods fertile eggs are notorious for being - well... not fertile. If you were to go back through the 500+ posts on this thread, you would find that many (most) who have tried WF eggs have had the same results. Bear in mind that as long as there is a rooster in with the chickens, they can claim their eggs are fertile. Doesn't matter if there is only one roo for every 500 chickens. Seems like Trader Joe's keeps a higher rooster-per-hen ratio than anyone else who sells "fertile" eggs. Just one of many reasons why I love Trader Joe's, and continue to give them my business. OK, so enough of the free plug for Trader Joe's... I just love that store!
I have not set T.J.'s fertile eggs since February 2010, but finally broke down and set a dozen last Friday, 4/27. They were laid on day 103, which means it was April 12, which happens to have been my 60th birthday, so I took that as an omen and picked up the dozen. They were 2 weeks old on the 26th when I bought them, and I set them on the 27th. So... cross your fingers and toes, (and any other body parts that you can think of) and I am officially joining (again) the T.J.'s hatchalong.
Now for my 2-cents-worth on the personalities of the T.J.'s chickens... I know that Leghorns are not supposed to be "friendly"; too flighty and not easy to tame. I have found this to be true for hatchery Leghorns, but I have had great luck with the T.J.'s chicks being much more friendly and easy to have as pets, or "lap chickens". I don't know if it is because we give them more attention from the time they hatch, or if it is something in their particular breeding stock, but it has been true for us. Our original chicken that we hatched from the T.J.'s eggs (aptly named T.J.) was a lap-chicken from day one, and continued to be so until she was lost to a bobcat at about 2 years old. She was at about the middle of the pecking order in the flock, but was definitely a pet and would sit with us, on lap or shoulder, and check in my shirt pocket for treats whenever we sat outdoors for "Chicken T.V.". Also, the roosters, while not being quite as friendly as the hens, were very funny and feisty with each other, but were never mean or aggressive with us.
Needless to say, the T.J.'s chicks are some of my favorites, and I am hoping for a great hatch from this dozen eggs!

 

[jandrusrn]

Whole Foods fertile eggs are notorious for being - well... not fertile. If you were to go back through the 500+ posts on this thread, you would find that many (most) who have tried WF eggs have had the same results. Bear in mind that as long as there is a rooster in with the chickens, they can claim their eggs are fertile. Doesn't matter if there is only one roo for every 500 chickens. Seems like Trader Joe's keeps a higher rooster-per-hen ratio than anyone else who sells "fertile" eggs. Just one of many reasons why I love Trader Joe's, and continue to give them my business. OK, so enough of the free plug for Trader Joe's... I just love that store!
I have not set T.J.'s fertile eggs since February 2010, but finally broke down and set a dozen last Friday, 4/27. They were laid on day 103, which means it was April 12, which happens to have been my 60th birthday, so I took that as an omen and picked up the dozen. They were 2 weeks old on the 26th when I bought them, and I set them on the 27th. So... cross your fingers and toes, (and any other body parts that you can think of) and I am officially joining (again) the T.J.'s hatchalong.
Now for my 2-cents-worth on the personalities of the T.J.'s chickens... I know that Leghorns are not supposed to be "friendly"; too flighty and not easy to tame. I have found this to be true for hatchery Leghorns, but I have had great luck with the T.J.'s chicks being much more friendly and easy to have as pets, or "lap chickens". I don't know if it is because we give them more attention from the time they hatch, or if it is something in their particular breeding stock, but it has been true for us. Our original chicken that we hatched from the T.J.'s eggs (aptly named T.J.) was a lap-chicken from day one, and continued to be so until she was lost to a bobcat at about 2 years old. She was at about the middle of the pecking order in the flock, but was definitely a pet and would sit with us, on lap or shoulder, and check in my shirt pocket for treats whenever we sat outdoors for "Chicken T.V.". Also, the roosters, while not being quite as friendly as the hens, were very funny and feisty with each other, but were never mean or aggressive with us.
Needless to say, the T.J.'s chicks are some of my favorites, and I am hoping for a great hatch from this dozen eggs!

I'm happy (or not-so-much) happy about the whole foods information. Wanted some brown egg layers... but I too, succomb to the TJ's eggs today and brought them up to temp all day... now about an hour ago they've been put into a lovely warm bator and I'm in. I'm part of... yes, I'm a TJ's hatcher. We'll see what happens... I'm sorry about the leghorn stuff.. horrible rumors I'm sure!

Thanks for the information and let's do this thing!!!