# Egg Incubator Calculator Egg incubator calculator: get hatch date, lockdown date, candling schedule, and expected hatch count for chicken, duck, quail, turkey, and goose eggs. ## What this calculates Set up your incubation timeline in seconds. This egg incubator calculator returns your hatch date, lockdown date, candling schedule, temperature and humidity targets, and expected chick count for chickens, ducks, quail, turkeys, geese, and more. ## Inputs - **Species** — options: Chicken (21 days), Coturnix Quail (17 days), Bobwhite Quail (23 days), Muscovy Duck (35 days), Mallard / Pekin Duck (28 days), Goose (28-32 days), Turkey (28 days), Guinea Fowl (26-28 days), Peafowl / Peacock (28 days), Pheasant (23-25 days) - **Day of Month Set** — min 1, max 31 — Day you placed eggs in the incubator (1-31) - **Month Set** — options: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December - **Year Set** — min 2020, max 2100 - **Number of Eggs** (eggs) — min 1, max 1000 - **Expected Fertility Rate** (%) — min 10, max 100 — Chickens 80-90%, ducks 70-80%, turkeys 80-85%, shipped eggs 50-70% - **Expected Hatch Rate (of fertile)** (%) — min 10, max 100 — Of fertile eggs, typical hatch rates are 70-85% for home incubators ## Outputs - **Incubation Period** — formatted as text — Days from set to hatch for this species - **Expected Hatch Date** — formatted as text — Day the eggs should pip and hatch - **Lockdown Date** — formatted as text — Stop turning, raise humidity to 65-75 percent (final 3 days) - **First Candling** — formatted as text — Check for clear (infertile) and early quitters around day 7 - **Second Candling** — formatted as text — Confirm developing embryos around day 14 for chickens - **Expected Hatchlings** — formatted as text — Projected chick count from fertility and hatch rate - **Temperature & Humidity** — formatted as text — Target incubation conditions for this species - **Turning Schedule** — formatted as text — How many times per day to turn eggs and when to stop ## Details Standard incubation periods by species Incubation times are remarkably consistent within a species. These are the published averages from poultry extension services at Mississippi State, University of Georgia, and incubator manufacturer data: - Chicken: 21 days - Coturnix quail: 17-18 days - Bobwhite quail: 23-24 days - Mallard / Pekin duck: 28 days - Muscovy duck: 35-37 days (the longest of common poultry) - Turkey: 28 days - Goose: 28-32 days (varies by breed) - Guinea fowl: 26-28 days - Peafowl: 28 days - Pheasant: 23-25 days Temperature and humidity targets Temperature is the single most important incubation variable. Too hot and embryos die. Too cold and development slows or stops. The standard for all common poultry species: - Forced-air (fan) incubator: 99.5F (37.5C) measured at egg-top level - Still-air (no fan) incubator: 101-102F (38.3-38.9C) measured at the top of the eggs, because heat rises and the air above the eggs is always warmer than the air below Humidity varies by species and by stage: - Chickens, quail, turkey, guinea, pheasant, peafowl: 45-55% days 1 through lockdown, then 65-75% during lockdown - Ducks and geese: 55-65% early, then 75-85% during lockdown (waterfowl need much higher humidity) Candling: when and what to look for Candling means shining a bright light through the egg to see what's inside. Do it in a dark room with a bright LED candler. Typical schedule: - Day 7 (chicken), day 5 (quail): Look for a visible embryo with blood vessels radiating from a central dark spot. Clear eggs are infertile. Blood rings indicate early quitters (embryo died). Remove any clear or quit eggs. - Day 14 (chicken), day 10-12 (quail): The embryo should fill most of the egg except the air cell at the fat end. You may see movement. Any egg with no clear development should be pulled. - Day 18 (chicken, lockdown): Stop candling. The embryo should fill the egg with only the air cell visible. From here, do not disturb. Lockdown: the final 3 days Lockdown is the crucial final stretch. Three days before the expected hatch: - Stop turning the eggs and remove the turner or turning tray - Raise humidity to the lockdown target (65-75% for most, 75-85% for waterfowl) - Do not open the incubator until all chicks have hatched and dried (24 hours after the first pip) Opening the incubator during lockdown causes a humidity crash that dries the inner membrane, shrink-wrapping the chick and killing it. If you must open briefly, add warm wet paper towels immediately to recover humidity. Expected hatch rate Fertility and hatch rate are two separate numbers: - Fertility: The percent of eggs that were fertilized. Strong flocks run 85-95% on fresh eggs. Shipped eggs drop to 50-70%. - Hatch rate: The percent of fertile eggs that actually hatch. Home incubators typically achieve 70-85%. Commercial hatcheries run 90%+. So if you set 12 chicken eggs at 85% fertility with an 80% hatch rate, expect about 12 x 0.85 x 0.80 = ~8 chicks. This is normal. Plan your setup and brooder space around realistic hatch numbers, not the total egg count. Common incubation problems - Eggs hatch early: incubator ran too hot. Chicks are often weak. - Eggs hatch late (more than 1 day past due): incubator ran too cold. Give an extra day or two before giving up. - Chicks pip but don't hatch: humidity too low at lockdown (shrink-wrapped), or eggs rotated by malpositioned embryos. - Sticky chicks: humidity was too high during days 1-18 (insufficient moisture loss, leading to oversized chicks that stick in the shell). - Lots of clears at day 7: low rooster-to-hen ratio, old breeding flock, or eggs that got too cold before incubation. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: How long does it take to hatch eggs in an incubator?** A: Chicken eggs hatch in 21 days, coturnix quail in 17-18 days, mallard and Pekin ducks in 28 days, Muscovy ducks in 35-37 days, turkeys in 28 days, geese in 28-32 days, and bobwhite quail in 23-24 days. Guinea fowl, peafowl, and pheasants all fall in the 23-28 day range. Enter your species and set date above to see your exact hatch date. **Q: What temperature and humidity do I need?** A: Forced-air incubators run at 99.5F (37.5C) measured at the top of the eggs. Still-air incubators run at 101-102F because heat rises. Humidity is 45-55 percent for days 1 through lockdown for chickens, quail, and turkeys, then 65-75 percent during lockdown. Ducks and geese need higher humidity: 55-65 percent early and 75-85 percent during lockdown because waterfowl eggshells are more permeable. **Q: When should I candle my eggs?** A: Candle chicken eggs at day 7 (look for visible embryo and blood vessels), again at day 14 (embryo fills most of the egg), and do not candle after lockdown at day 18. Quail candle at days 5 and 10. Waterfowl candle at days 7 and 14. Use a bright LED candler in a dark room. Remove any eggs that show clear (infertile) or blood rings (early quitter) to prevent bacterial contamination. **Q: What is lockdown and when does it start?** A: Lockdown is the final 3 days of incubation. Stop turning the eggs, raise humidity to 65-75 percent for chickens (75-85 for waterfowl), and do not open the incubator. For a chicken egg set on April 1, lockdown begins April 19 and hatching starts April 22. Opening the incubator during lockdown causes humidity to crash, which shrink-wraps the chick in the inner membrane and usually kills it. **Q: What hatch rate should I expect?** A: A well-run home incubator with fresh eggs from a healthy breeding flock should achieve 70-85 percent hatch rate on fertile eggs. Shipped eggs drop to 40-60 percent due to handling stress. Commercial hatcheries get 90+ percent. Overall hatch from total eggs set is fertility x hatch rate, so setting 12 chicken eggs at 85 percent fertility and 80 percent hatch rate typically yields about 8 chicks. Plan your brooder for realistic numbers, not the full egg count. **Q: How often should I turn the eggs?** A: Turn eggs 3 to 5 times per day (odd numbers are ideal so the egg never spends the long night on the same side). Automatic turners handle this every 1-2 hours automatically. Manual turning should be an 180-degree rotation, typically morning, noon, and evening. Stop turning at lockdown (3 days before hatch) so chicks can orient themselves for pipping and hatching. Failure to turn is the most common cause of malposition deaths. --- Source: https://vastcalc.com/calculators/health/egg-incubator Category: Health & Fitness Last updated: 2026-04-08