Is it possible to hatch a chick from a supermarket egg?

Asked by: Teresa Henderson, Blackpool


It’s unlikely, but not impossible. Most commercial egg farms have strictly all-female flocks because male chickens aren’t needed for egg production and aren’t suitable for meat either (chickens raised for meat are a different breed). Without a rooster in the flock, the eggs will never be fertilised and can’t develop into a chicken embryo.

With other poultry species though, such as quail or duck, the males and females aren’t segregated so strictly, and ducks can also come into contact with wild males and mate with them. There have been a few reported cases of supermarket duck and quail eggs being successfully incubated.

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