Egg incubation calculator
Enter the day you set your eggs and get your whole hatch on a timeline — candling days, lockdown, and hatch day — for 10 species from chickens to peafowl.
The classic 21-day hatch. Lockdown on day 18 — stop turning and raise humidity to around 65–70%.
- 0
Set eggsThu, July 9, 2026
Eggs go in the incubator. Begin turning (or confirm the auto-turner is on).
- 7
First candlingThu, July 16, 2026
Look for spider-web veining. Remove clears and early quitters.
- 14
Second candlingThu, July 23, 2026
Embryos should fill most of the egg with a clear air cell. Remove any quitters.
- 18
LockdownMon, July 27, 2026
Stop turning, raise humidity, and keep the incubator closed until hatch.
- 21
Hatch dayThu, July 30, 2026
Pips and zips! Leave chicks in until fluffy and dry — up to 24 hours.
Downloads a .ics file that works with Apple, Google, and Outlook calendars.
Incubation periods by species
| Species | Days to hatch | Lockdown day | Candling days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐔 Chicken | 21 | 18 | 7 & 14 |
| 🐦 Coturnix Quail | 18 | 15 | 6 & 12 |
| 🐦 Bobwhite Quail | 23 | 20 | 8 & 15 |
| 🦆 Duck | 28 | 25 | 9 & 18 |
| 🦆 Muscovy Duck | 35 | 32 | 10 & 24 |
| 🦃 Turkey | 28 | 25 | 9 & 18 |
| 🪿 Goose | 30 | 27 | 10 & 20 |
| 🐦 Guinea Fowl | 27 | 24 | 9 & 18 |
| 🐦 Pheasant | 24 | 21 | 8 & 16 |
| 🦚 Peafowl | 29 | 26 | 10 & 19 |
Hatching your first clutch? Start with our beginner's guide to backyard chickens and browse breed profiles to pick who goes in the incubator next.
Common questions
- How long do chicken eggs take to hatch?
- Chicken eggs hatch in 21 days at a steady 99.5°F in a forced-air incubator. A day early or late is normal — slightly warm incubators run fast, cool ones run slow.
- What is lockdown?
- Lockdown is the final stretch (the last 3 days for chickens, starting day 18) when you stop turning the eggs, raise humidity to about 65–70%, and keep the incubator closed so chicks can position for hatch.
- When should I candle my eggs?
- Most keepers candle around day 7 (to spot veining and remove clear, infertile eggs) and again around day 14 (to remove quitters). Candle in a dark room and don't keep eggs out of the incubator longer than 20–30 minutes.
- Why didn't my eggs hatch on the expected day?
- Temperature is the usual suspect: even half a degree low can push a hatch a day or two late. Old eggs, poor storage before setting, and humidity swings also stretch or shrink the timeline slightly.
Hatch day, tracked in your pocket
PoultryPal tracks active hatches day by day — set eggs, log candling, and get the whole clutch into your flock records the moment they hatch.
