Egg Incubation & Hatch Date Calculator
Hatch date and lockdown date for chicken, duck, Muscovy, turkey, goose, quail, guinea fowl, pheasant and peafowl eggs from the set date — candling days, temperature and humidity settings, and expected hatch rate from fertility.
How it works
Hatch date = set date + incubation days (chicken 21, duck 28, turkey 28, goose 30, quail 17–18, Muscovy 35); lockdown = hatch − 3 days; chicks = eggs × fertility × hatch of fertile
Incubation time is fixed by species — 21 days for a chicken, 28 for most ducks and turkeys, 30 for geese, a brisk 17–18 for Coturnix quail — counted from the moment the eggs reach incubation temperature, not from when they were laid or collected. The last three days are “lockdown”: turning stops so the chick can orient, and humidity is raised so the membranes stay soft while it pips. Candling around day 7 removes infertile eggs and early deaths, keeping the incubator clean and the humidity readings honest. A good home hatch is 80–85% of fertile eggs; fertility itself depends on the breeding flock, so the two multiply to about 70–75% of eggs set. Eggs stored more than 7 days, shipped eggs and low or unstable temperatures push hatches later and lower.
Worked example
Forty-two chicken eggs set today: candle at day 7, lockdown at day 18, hatch at day 21. With 90% fertility and 85% hatchability, expect about 32 chicks (77% of eggs set); have the brooder at 35 °C the day before.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my eggs hatch late?
Late hatches almost always mean the average temperature was slightly low (or the eggs were old); early hatches mean too warm. Half a degree shifts the hatch by a day or more.
Can I mix species in one incubator?
Only if hatch dates are staggered so lockdown humidity coincides — set duck eggs 7 days before chicken eggs so both hatch together.
Related calculators
Farm planning estimate. Breeds, climate, feed quality and local extension guidance change the numbers — use this to plan, and your own records to manage.