Shoppers left appalled after realizing Trader Joe's sells fertilized chicken eggs that can be HATCHED

Don't count your chickens before they hatch - especially if you bought them from Trader Joe's. TikTok users have been left agog after a woman revealed you can purchase fertilized eggs from the popular chain and hatch them. The mom, who posts under the username The California Home, wrote on a video: '24 days ago we bought these eggs.'. She showed the $4.49 carton of eggs which had 'Trader Joe's fertile eggs' printed across the packaging.

The mom then showed the eggs in an incubator at home as her mesmerized young children gazed inside. After 21 days, the eggs had already started to crack before tiny chicks emerged. 'Almost all of them hatched,' she wrote on the video. 'Now we have eight chicks,' she explained, showing her young son on the grass surrounded by adorable fluffy hatchlings. TikTok users are agog after a woman revealed you can purchase fertilized eggs from Trader Joes - and hatch them at home.

Trader Joe's describes their fertile eggs as being 'laid by hens in contact with roosters,' as per the website. But TikTok users were appalled that the grocery store can sell eggs that can result in real, live chickens. 'WHY are they selling fertilized eggs. I've been eating these all week,' complained one user. 'Nah I'm concerned because I reach for the same eggs at Trader Joe's every week and I might've accidentally eaten fertilized eggs,' another worried person wrote.

'Me checking to see if I accidentally bought FERTILE eggs from Trader Joe's,' said someone else. 'One time I crashed out thinking about this EXACT scenario so I stopped eating eggs…. here I go AGAIN,' an alarmed user wrote. For those worried, it's perfectly safe to eat fertilized chicken eggs. In fact, you probably won't taste the difference. 'There are no adverse effects from eating a fertilized egg, nor is there any taste difference,' Backyard Chicken Coops noted.

After 21 days, the eggs started to crack and tiny chicks emerged - all from a carton of Trader Joe's eggs. Not every egg in a 'fertilized' carton will hatch and, even if an egg is successfully fertilized, if it is refrigerated right away, the incubation process is halted. 'So if you've got a rooster in your flock and don't know if your eggs or fertilized, don't be hesitant,' they assured readers. 'If you've collected them fresh, they are still perfect to scramble, fry, poach and eat!'.

To hatch chickens at home, you must place fertilized eggs in an incubator which maintains a consistent temperature and humidity level, typically around 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken eggs typically have a 21-day incubation period before they hatch. Hatching chickens at home could be helpful amid the egg shortage crisis, due to the bird flu virus, to allow for your own egg production. Anytime the bird flu virus is found on a poultry farm, the entire flock is slaughtered to help limit its spread, according to AP.

The cost of a dozen eggs has now more than doubled since summer 2023, and hit a near-record high of $4.15 in December last year. While this fell short of the $4.82 record set two years ago, the Agriculture Department predicts prices are going to climb another 20 percent this year. As of the end of the end of last week, the wholesale price on the New York market for large cartons of eggs delivered to retailers rose by 39 cents, to $7.62 per dozen, according to USDA data on the egg market.