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To hatch eggs in an incubator, set fertile eggs in a forced-air incubator at 99.5°F (37.5°C) with 40–50% humidity (55–60% for waterfowl). Turn them 3–5 times a day, candle on day 7 and day 14, then stop turning and raise humidity to 65–70% for the last 3 days ("lockdown"). Chicken eggs hatch on day 21, ducks on day 28 and Coturnix quail on day 17–18.
Incubation settings chart for 9 species
Every species below incubates at the same 99.5°F in a forced-air incubator. Days and humidity are what change. Use the lockdown column to know when to stop turning.
| Species | Days to hatch | RH days 1 → lockdown | Lockdown RH | Stop turning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 21 | 40–50% | 65–70% | Day 18 |
| Bantam chicken | 20–21 | 40–50% | 65–70% | Day 17–18 |
| Duck (most breeds) | 28 | 55–60% | 65–75% | Day 25 |
| Muscovy duck | 35 | 55–60% | 65–75% | Day 32 |
| Goose | 28–33 | 50–55% | 70–75% | 3 days before hatch |
| Turkey | 28 | 50–55% | 65–70% | Day 25 |
| Coturnix quail | 17–18 | 45–50% | 65–70% | Day 15 |
| Bobwhite quail | 23–24 | 45–50% | 65–70% | Day 21 |
| Guinea fowl | 27–28 | 45–55% | 65–70% | Day 24–25 |
| Pheasant | 24–26 | 45–55% | 65–70% | Day 21–23 |
Want these as dates on your calendar? Enter your set date in the hatch date calculator.
What you need before you start
- A forced-air incubator with an automatic turner. A fan keeps temperature even across every egg; a turner saves you 50+ manual turns. See our tested incubator picks.
- A second thermometer and hygrometer. Built-in sensors on budget incubators can be off by 1–2°F, which is enough to ruin a hatch. Place the check sensor at the height of the top of the eggs.
- A candler. Many incubators include one. A bright, narrow LED flashlight works in a dark room.
- Fertile hatching eggs. From your own flock with a rooster, a local keeper, or a hatchery. Supermarket eggs are almost never fertile (here's why).
- A brooder ready before hatch day. A draft-free box or tub with a heat plate or lamp, chick feed, and a shallow waterer.
Step by step: hatching chicken eggs
The steps are the same for every species. Only the days and humidity numbers change, so swap in the values from the chart above.
1. Run the incubator empty for 24–48 hours
Put it in a room that stays between 65 and 75°F, away from windows, heating vents and exterior doors. Let it stabilize, then compare the display against your second thermometer. Adjust until the check thermometer reads 99.5°F. This single step prevents more failed hatches than anything else.
2. Choose and prepare hatching eggs
Pick clean, normally shaped, medium-sized eggs with no cracks or thin spots. Hatchability drops noticeably after about 7 days of storage, so set eggs as fresh as you can. Store them pointy end down at 55–65°F until you're ready. Don't wash them: washing removes the protective bloom. Let eggs warm to room temperature for 6–8 hours before setting so condensation doesn't form on the shell.
3. Set the eggs (day 0)
Place eggs on their sides or pointy end down, depending on your turner. Write the date on your calendar as day 0. Day 1 starts 24 hours later. If you turn by hand, pencil an X on one side and an O on the other so you can track turns.
4. Hold temperature and humidity steady
Keep 99.5°F and 40–50% humidity for chicken eggs. Temperature in the first few hours will dip while the eggs warm up. Resist the urge to turn the thermostat up; it recovers on its own within 4–6 hours. Small, short humidity swings do far less harm than opening the lid to chase a number. Our humidity guide explains how to tell if your eggs are actually losing the right amount of moisture.
5. Turn the eggs 3–5 times a day
Turning keeps the developing embryo from sticking to the shell membrane. Hand-turn an odd number of times a day (3 or 5) so the eggs alternate which side they rest on overnight. Automatic turners tilt the eggs slowly every hour or two, which is even better.
6. Candle on day 7 and day 14
In a dark room, shine a bright light through each egg. On day 7 a fertile chicken egg shows a dark spot (the eye) with spider-like blood vessels. Remove clear eggs and any egg with a sharp red blood ring, which means the embryo has died. On day 14 the egg should look mostly dark with a defined air cell. Our candling guide has illustrated examples.
7. Lockdown on day 18
Stop turning. Remove the turner or switch it off, lay the eggs flat, raise humidity to 65–70%, and close the lid. From here, the lid stays shut until hatching is done. The chick is absorbing the yolk, turning into hatching position, and preparing to break into the air cell.
8. Hatch day (day 21)
You'll see an internal pip (beak into the air cell, visible when candling), then an external pip (a small crack or hole), then "zipping" around the shell. From first external pip to hatch can take 12–24 hours. That's normal. Leave chicks in the incubator until they're dry and fluffy. They can go 24–48 hours without food or water because they've just absorbed the yolk.
9. Move chicks to the brooder
Transfer dry chicks to a brooder at about 95°F at chick level, dropping roughly 5°F a week. Dip each beak in water so they find the waterer. Wait 24 hours after the last chick hatches before giving up on remaining eggs, and candle any stragglers before discarding.
Should you help a chick hatch? Almost never. Most "stuck" chicks are simply still absorbing blood vessels and yolk. Assisting too early causes bleeding. If there's been no progress at all for 24 hours after external pip, see when and how to assist.
Incubator temperature: why 99.5°F
A forced-air incubator moves air with a fan, so the temperature is the same everywhere inside. That's why 99.5°F (37.5°C) is the standard. University of Kentucky extension guidance gives a forced-air range of 99–100°F and a still-air range of 100–101°F. A still-air incubator has no fan, so warm air layers at the top. Measure at the top of the eggs and aim for 101–102°F there.
- Too hot (even 1–2°F for days): early hatching, chicks with unhealed navels, splayed legs, and more deaths at pipping.
- Too cold: slow development, late and drawn-out hatches, large soft-bellied chicks.
- Short power cut: eggs tolerate a few hours of cooling better than overheating. See what to do in a power outage.
Humidity: the most common reason hatches fail
Eggs need to lose moisture through the shell so the air cell grows to the right size. Too much humidity leaves chicks large and weak, often drowning at pip. Too little shrinks the membrane onto the chick. The target is roughly a 12–14% weight loss from set day to lockdown for chicken eggs. If you live somewhere humid, a "dry hatch" (no added water until lockdown) often works better than following a fixed number. Full details are in the incubator humidity guide.
Turning schedule
Turn from day 1 until lockdown. Experts at the University of Kentucky recommend turning at least three times a day from day 2 to day 18 for chicken eggs and not turning after day 18. Missing an occasional turn is not a disaster. Missing turns consistently in the first week is.
Hatching duck, quail, goose and turkey eggs
- Ducks: 28 days (Muscovy 35). Higher humidity, larger trays, and many keepers mist and cool eggs once a day from week two. See the duck egg incubation guide.
- Quail: Coturnix hatch in 17–18 days and need quail rails or a quail tray, because their eggs slip in chicken-sized slots. See the quail incubation guide.
- Geese: 28–33 days depending on breed. Large eggs need wide spacing, higher humidity, and daily cooling and misting late in incubation. Lay them on their sides.
- Turkeys: 28 days. Treat them like a long chicken hatch: same temperature, slightly higher humidity, lockdown on day 25.
Hatching more than one species together? Stagger the set dates so every egg reaches lockdown on the same day, and use the higher humidity target once lockdown begins.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature should an incubator be for chicken eggs?
99.5°F (37.5°C) in a forced-air incubator, measured with a calibrated thermometer at egg height. In a still-air incubator, aim for 101–102°F at the top of the eggs.
Can I open the incubator during lockdown?
Try not to. Opening the lid during lockdown drops humidity in seconds, and the membranes of pipped eggs can dry and trap the chick. If you must (to rescue a chick that's been stuck for 24+ hours, or to remove a broken egg), raise the room humidity first and be quick.
How many eggs will hatch?
A hatch rate of 75–90% of fertile eggs is a good result for a home incubator with fresh eggs. Shipped eggs often hatch at 50% or less because the air cells are damaged in transit.
When should I stop turning eggs?
Three days before the expected hatch: day 18 for chickens, day 25 for most ducks and turkeys, day 15 for Coturnix quail, and day 32 for Muscovy ducks.
Why are my chicks hatching early or late?
Hatching a day or more early usually means the incubator ran hot. Late, drawn-out hatches usually mean it ran cool, or the eggs were stored for a long time before setting. Check your thermometer against a second one.
How long can chicks stay in the incubator after hatching?
Up to 24 hours, and as long as 48 hours if more eggs are still hatching. Chicks absorb the yolk just before hatching and don't need food or water during that window. Move them once they're dry and fluffy.