Increasing food prices may have become a common frustration, and for egg lovers like me, seeing the ever-increasing egg prices and sometimes absent egg aisles during my weekly grocery trips is troubling. For many, this has sparked some creativity, including viral trends showcasing attempts to hatch chickens from grocery store eggs.

The concept seems doubtful, as my experience growing up close to a farm and incubating duck eggs didn't promise much hope. However, a poultry expert's knowledge seemed necessary for a definitive answer. I got in touch with Dr. Mary Fosnaught, who has extensive credentials in poultry science and is an extension associate for Poultry 4-H and Youth Development at NC State University. Her remit is to educate people on how to hatch and raise poultry.

So, can you really hatch a chicken from supermarket eggs? Fosnaught says it's highly unlikely. The possibility of an egg being fertile is slim, even if the eggs come from free-range chickens that might have a rooster around. Moreover, the expert discourages incubation of grocery store eggs due to the high probability of infertility.

Interestingly, even labeled "fertilized" eggs like those sold at Trader Joe's aren't recommended for incubation by Dr. Fosnaught. The reason lies in the chain of food processing, storage, and handling, which often don't meet the conditions necessary for hatchability. Hence, hatching seems easier said than done, involving more than just maintaining warmth.

Hens don't require roosters to lay eggs, and according to Fosnaught, most grocery store eggs are not fertile. If a company claims to sell fertile eggs, a quick check by cracking an egg open verifies this. A solid white dot on the yolk's edge indicates infertility, while a white dot with an outer ring points at fertility.

Even if the "fertilized" eggs from Trader Joe's are indeed fertile, several factors limit the chances of successfully hatching them. The store's eggs, although marked as fertilized, are not coined "fertile hatching" eggs, and are primarily sold for consumption. Their storage conditions and age often cross the optimal parameters needed for hatching.

The ideal conditions for hatching include eggs from a breeder flock, less than ten days old, stored at a suitable temperature around 50–70℉, and not in a refrigerator. They should preferably be from a breeder certified in the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP).

In contrast, grocery store eggs could potentially be up to 30 days old, way over the suggested hatching age. Successful hatching stories seem to be the exception rather than the rule, and some could simply be fabricated.

For those still considering trying, the risk of failure is high, and given soaring egg prices, wasting them doesn't seem practical. If you are set on hatching eggs, Dr. Fosnaught advises purchasing "Fertile hatching eggs" from certified hatcheries online, while also studying essential instructions for adept incubation and future chicken care.

If additional resources are needed, Fosnaught recommends pursuing 4-H Embryology materials, available through local county 4-H Agents, or online resources from hatcheries, feed companies, and incubator manufacturers.