When do I stop turning guinea fowl eggs?

After day 25, according to Mississippi State's incubation table. From then on leave the eggs still, raise the humidity, and keep the incubator closed so the keets can get into position.

What temperature and humidity do guinea fowl eggs need?

Mississippi State lists 100°F in a forced-air incubator (2 to 3 degrees more in a still-air one). Humidity is a wet-bulb reading of 85 to 87°F until day 25, which works out to about 54 to 59 percent relative humidity, then 90°F wet bulb (about 68 percent) for the hatch.

When should I candle guinea fowl eggs?

Around day 9 and day 18. Those are the chicken candling days scaled to a 28-day hatch (about one-third and two-thirds of the way through), because the extension tables only list candling days for chickens.

Free tool

Guinea Fowl egg incubation calculator

Guinea Fowl eggs hatch in 26 to 28 days; plan on day 28. Enter the day you set them and get the whole hatch on a timeline, with the incubator settings and the source behind every number.

Date eggs were set

Keets arrive at 28 days by two of the three tables; Minnesota's allows for hatches as early as day 26.

0
Set eggsTue, October 6, 2026
Eggs go in the incubator. Begin turning (or confirm the auto-turner is on).
9
First candlingThu, October 15, 2026
Look for spider-web veining. Remove clears and early quitters.
18
Second candlingSat, October 24, 2026
Embryos should fill most of the egg with a clear air cell. Remove any quitters.
25
LockdownSat, October 31, 2026
Stop turning, raise humidity, and keep the incubator closed until hatch.
28
Hatch dayTue, November 3, 2026
Pips and zips! Sources put this hatch anywhere from day 26 to day 28. Leave the keets in until fluffy and dry.
Hatch window: Sun, Nov 1 to Tue, Nov 3

Downloads a .ics file that works with Apple, Google, and Outlook calendars.

How long do guinea fowl eggs take to hatch?

It depends on who you ask, which is why the calculator shows a window (day 26 to day 28) around its planning day of 28. Here is what each reference prints.

Source	Days to hatch	Applies to
Mississippi State University Extension	28	Guinea Fowl
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension	28	Guinea Fowl
Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota	26–28	Guinea Fowl

Incubator settings for guinea fowl eggs

Temperature: 100°F forced-air (add 2–3°F in a still-air incubator)
Humidity to day 25: about 54–59% (wet bulb 85–87°F)
Humidity for the hatch: about 68% (wet bulb 90°F)
Stop turning: after day 25
Open the vents further: day 24

These come from Mississippi State's incubation table, which gives humidity as a wet-bulb temperature. We converted it to relative humidity with the same extension chart, so treat the percentages as close, not exact. Follow your incubator's manual where it differs.

Hatching something else?

Common questions

How long do guinea fowl eggs take to hatch?: Plan on 28 days, and be ready from day 26 to day 28. Mississippi State says 28, Univ. of Kentucky says 28 and Univ. of Minnesota says 26 to 28.
When do I stop turning guinea fowl eggs?: After day 25, according to Mississippi State's incubation table. From then on leave the eggs still, raise the humidity, and keep the incubator closed so the keets can get into position.
What temperature and humidity do guinea fowl eggs need?: Mississippi State lists 100°F in a forced-air incubator (2 to 3 degrees more in a still-air one). Humidity is a wet-bulb reading of 85 to 87°F until day 25, which works out to about 54 to 59 percent relative humidity, then 90°F wet bulb (about 68 percent) for the hatch.
When should I candle guinea fowl eggs?: Around day 9 and day 18. Those are the chicken candling days scaled to a 28-day hatch (about one-third and two-thirds of the way through), because the extension tables only list candling days for chickens.

Where these numbers come from

Important Incubation Factors. Mississippi State University Extension.
Development of the Chick (ASC-195). Tony Pescatore and Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. December 2012.
Hatching and Brooding Small Numbers of Chicks (AG-FO-0631). Melvin L. Hamre, Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota. Reviewed 1990.
Care and Incubation of Hatching Eggs. Dr. Tom W. Smith, Mississippi State University, Poultry Science.

We read each document ourselves and last checked this page against them on October 5, 2026. Where they disagree, we show you the disagreement instead of picking a winner quietly.

Get a nudge on lockdown day

Log the hatch in PoultryPal and it counts down with you, then records how many keets hatched and your hatch rate. Premium adds lockdown and hatch-day reminders. Free to download on iOS and Android.