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Almost never. Supermarket chicken eggs come from commercial laying flocks with no roosters, so they are infertile. They are also refrigerated, which destroys the viability of any embryo, and usually washed, removing the protective bloom. Unchilled, few-days-old farm-stand eggs from flocks with a rooster can hatch, but odds are low. For a real hatch, buy fertile hatching eggs.
Why don't supermarket eggs hatch?
Three things stack against them, and any one is usually enough to stop a hatch.
No rooster, no embryo
Hens lay eggs whether or not a rooster is present. Commercial egg farms keep laying hens without males, so the eggs are never fertilized and contain no embryo to develop. Labels like "organic", "free-range", "cage-free" and "pasture-raised" describe how the hens live, not whether the eggs are fertile.
Refrigeration
Hatching eggs are stored at 55–65°F. Supermarket eggs are kept at refrigerator temperature from the packing plant to the shelf, which is cold enough to damage any embryo beyond recovery. Even a fertile egg that has been in the fridge for days has very little chance of developing.
Washing and age
Commercial eggs in the US are washed, which removes the bloom, the natural coating that seals the shell's pores against bacteria. They are also often a week or more old by the time you buy them, and hatchability falls noticeably after about 7 days of storage even under ideal conditions.
Are there any store-bought eggs that can hatch?
A few, but none are a reliable way to start a flock.
- Farm-stand and farmers' market eggs. Small flocks often run a rooster with the hens, so the eggs may be fertile. They can hatch if they were never refrigerated and are only a few days old. Many sellers chill their eggs, though, so ask before you buy.
- Eggs labeled "fertile". Some natural-food stores sell them. They are fertile, but they have been refrigerated, so expect a very low hatch rate at best.
- Quail eggs from Asian or specialty grocers. Some quail farms keep males with the hens, and occasional hatches from grocery quail eggs do happen. Most are refrigerated and many are infertile, so treat it as an experiment, not a plan.
- Duck eggs from Asian grocers. Usually infertile and refrigerated, same as chicken eggs. Balut, sold as a fertilized duck egg, has already been incubated and cooked, so it cannot hatch.
If you decide to try a long shot, set the eggs alongside nothing valuable, note the date in the hatch date calculator, candle on day 7, and remove any that stay clear or develop a blood ring.
How can you tell if an egg is fertile?
You can't tell from the outside, but there are two reliable checks: cracking an egg open, or candling one after a few days in the incubator.
Crack one open: look for the bullseye
On the surface of every yolk is a small white spot called the germinal disc. In an infertile egg it is a small, solid, irregular white dot. In a fertile egg it looks like a tiny bullseye: a white ring with a clearer center, a little larger than the infertile spot. Cracking a few eggs from the same flock tells you whether that flock's rooster is doing his job, though it uses up the eggs you check.
Candle after 4–7 days
Set the eggs and shine a bright light through them in a dark room. Fertile chicken eggs show a dark eye spot and spider-like blood vessels by day 7, sometimes by day 4–5 in white shells. Clear eggs are infertile or stopped very early, and a sharp red ring means the embryo has died. Our candling guide shows each stage, and the day-by-day incubation calendar explains what is forming inside. Speckled quail eggs are harder to read, so give them a day or two longer.
Where can you get fertile hatching eggs?
Buy eggs sold specifically for hatching, from a flock that runs roosters with the hens.
- Local breeders. Poultry clubs, feed store bulletin boards and local keeper groups are the best source. Eggs that never travel far hatch best, and you can often pick them up the day they're laid.
- Hatcheries. Many hatcheries sell hatching eggs as well as chicks, with breed, species and pickup or shipping options.
- NPIP-certified flocks. The National Poultry Improvement Plan tests participating flocks for specific diseases such as pullorum-typhoid. Certification is a good sign of a careful breeder, and many states require it, or equivalent testing, for birds and hatching eggs shipped across state lines.
- Shipped eggs. Useful for rare breeds, but rough handling damages air cells. Shipped eggs often hatch at 50% or less, compared with 75–90% of fresh, fertile local eggs. Let them rest pointy end down for 12–24 hours before setting.
Once you have eggs, follow our step-by-step hatching guide, or the quail incubation guide for quail eggs, which hatch in 17–18 days.
Storing eggs before setting: keep them pointy end down at 55–65°F with roughly 70–75% humidity, never in the fridge. Don't wash them, and let them warm to room temperature for 6–8 hours before they go in the incubator.
Frequently asked questions
Can a supermarket egg ever hatch?
It is extremely unlikely. Commercial laying hens are kept without roosters, so their eggs are infertile, and supermarket eggs are refrigerated and washed. Even if one were fertile, days of refrigeration leave almost no chance of the embryo developing.
Are organic or free-range eggs fertile?
Not usually. Organic, free-range, cage-free and pasture-raised labels describe how hens are housed and fed. Commercial flocks under all of these labels are normally kept without roosters, so the eggs are infertile.
Can you hatch eggs from a farmers' market?
Sometimes. They need to come from a flock with a rooster, be no more than a few days old, and never have been refrigerated. Ask the seller all three questions. If the answers are yes, expect a lower hatch rate than eggs sold specifically for hatching.
Will refrigerated fertile eggs hatch?
Rarely. Hatching eggs should be stored at 55–65°F; refrigerator temperatures damage the embryo's ability to resume development. A short chill may leave a slim chance, but eggs held cold for days are very unlikely to hatch.
Do grocery store quail eggs hatch?
Occasionally. Some quail farms keep males with females, so a few eggs may be fertile, and they hatch in 17–18 days if viable. Most are refrigerated, though, so hatch rates are low and unpredictable. Fertile quail eggs from a breeder are far more reliable.