Chicken Egg Incubation Calculator
Get hatch day, lockdown day and candling milestones from the day eggs go into the incubator.
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What this tool does
Get hatch day, lockdown day and candling milestones from the day eggs go into the incubator. Day counting starts the day after setting for most published schedules (set day = day 0). Temperature errors shift hatch: a consistently cool incubator can delay hatch by a day or more, a hot one can bring it early and harm embryos. Duck, quail and other species have different periods and are not covered.
How to use the Chicken Egg Incubation Calculator
- Enter or select eggs set date (yyyy-mm-dd).
- Read the calculated result; change any measurement to compare alternatives.
Formula
chicken eggs hatch at 21 days from setting; lockdown (stop turning, raise humidity) is day 18; first candling check is day 7 — the standard published incubation schedule for chicken eggs at 37.5°C / 99.5°F
- date
- Eggs set date (YYYY-MM-DD)
Day counting starts the day after setting for most published schedules (set day = day 0). Temperature errors shift hatch: a consistently cool incubator can delay hatch by a day or more, a hot one can bring it early and harm embryos. Duck, quail and other species have different periods and are not covered.
Worked example
For chicken egg incubation calculator, the following measurements illustrate the exact method: Eggs set date (YYYY-MM-DD): 2026-10-01.
Inputs
- Eggs set date (YYYY-MM-DD)2026-10-01
Result
- Expected hatch date (day 21)2026-10-22
- Lockdown date (day 18 — stop turning)2026-10-19
- First candling date (day 7)2026-10-08
- Second candling date (day 14)2026-10-15
Results explained
- Expected hatch date (day 21)
- Expected hatch date (day 21) from the formula above. Day counting starts the day after setting for most published schedules (set day = day 0). Temperature errors shift hatch: a consistently cool incubator can delay hatch by a day or more, a hot one can bring it early and harm embryos. Duck, quail and other species have different periods and are not covered.
- Lockdown date (day 18 — stop turning)
- Lockdown date (day 18 — stop turning) from the formula above. Day counting starts the day after setting for most published schedules (set day = day 0). Temperature errors shift hatch: a consistently cool incubator can delay hatch by a day or more, a hot one can bring it early and harm embryos. Duck, quail and other species have different periods and are not covered.
- First candling date (day 7)
- First candling date (day 7) from the formula above. Day counting starts the day after setting for most published schedules (set day = day 0). Temperature errors shift hatch: a consistently cool incubator can delay hatch by a day or more, a hot one can bring it early and harm embryos. Duck, quail and other species have different periods and are not covered.
- Second candling date (day 14)
- Second candling date (day 14) from the formula above. Day counting starts the day after setting for most published schedules (set day = day 0). Temperature errors shift hatch: a consistently cool incubator can delay hatch by a day or more, a hot one can bring it early and harm embryos. Duck, quail and other species have different periods and are not covered.
Frequently asked questions
21 days at the correct incubator temperature (37.5°C / 99.5°F forced-air). Bantam eggs sometimes pip a day early; large or older eggs a day late — give eggs to day 23 before giving up, candling first.
From day 18 the eggs are no longer turned, humidity is raised (typically to ~65–70%), and the incubator stays closed so chicks can position and pip without losing moisture. Opening it during pipping can shrink-wrap chicks in their membranes.
A dark spot (the embryo) with a web of blood vessels spreading through the egg — the classic 'spider'. Clear eggs at day 7 are infertile or very early deaths and are usually removed by day 10–14.
The 21-day period is the same; the milestones differ — no turning schedule (the hen turns them) and no lockdown to manage. Just note the set date and expect pips around day 20–21.
No — incubation periods differ by species (most ducks 28 days, muscovies ~35, quail 17–18). This schedule is chicken-specific.