Chickens hatch in 21 days, Muscovy ducks take 35–37. When eggs of three species pass through one incubator in a season, it’s easy to mix up the numbers: turning gets switched off a week early, humidity goes up at the wrong time. Here all six species are on one page. The basis is the Mississippi State University Extension guide, one of the most widely cited incubation references for small farms.
The main chart
Incubation period and turning
| Species | Days | Stop turning from |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 21 | day 19 |
| Turkey | 28 | day 26 |
| Duck | 28 | day 26 |
| Muscovy duck | 35–37 | day 32 |
| Goose | 28–34, usually 30 | day 26 |
| Quail | 17 | day 16 |
Temperature and humidity
| Species | °C (°F) | Humidity | Hatch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 37.8 (100) | 55–60% | 65–70% |
| Turkey | 37.2 (99) | 55–60% | about 70% |
| Duck | 37.8 (100) | about 55% | 65–70% |
| Muscovy duck | 37.8 (100) | about 55% | 65–70% |
| Goose | 37.2 (99) | 60–65% | about 70% |
| Quail | 37.8 (100) | about 55% | 65–70% |
Quail here means Coturnix. Temperatures are for a forced-air incubator. MSU gives humidity as wet-bulb readings; here they are converted to the more familiar relative humidity.
How to read the chart
- Still-air incubators. The air layers: warmer at the top, cooler at the bottom. Run 1–1.5 °C (2–3 °F) above the chart and measure at the top of the eggs, not under the lid.
- Days count from setting. Day 1 is the day the eggs went in. “Stop turning from day 19” means the tray stays level on days 19, 20 and 21.
- Check your thermometer. Built-in sensors are often off by half a degree or more. Put a second, verified thermometer next to the eggs.
- The manual matters. If the incubator maker gives its own figures, they account for where its sensor sits. A 0.2–0.3 °C difference from the chart is normal.
Candling, cooling, hatching
| Species | Candling days | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 and 18 | Not needed |
| Turkey | 8 and 25 | Not needed |
| Duck | 8 and 25 | From day 14, once or twice a day, with misting |
| Muscovy duck | 10 and 31 | From the second half of incubation, once or twice a day |
| Goose | 9 and 25 | From day 11–13, once or twice a day, with misting |
| Quail | 6–7 | Not needed |
The last candling is done the day before turning stops: after that the incubator stays closed unless it has to be opened. Waterfowl eggs are cooled because in a large, fatty egg the embryo produces more heat than it needs in the second half. Details are in the articles on goose eggs and turkey and duck eggs.
Check your settings with a scale
The most reliable way to know whether humidity is right is to weigh the eggs. Hatcheries aim for a chicken egg to lose 11–12% of its starting weight by transfer to the hatcher on day 18.
- On setting day, weigh ten eggs, with the tray or one by one.
- A week later and just before you stop turning, weigh the same eggs.
- Losing less than that — humidity is too high, and chicks hatch sluggish and wet. Losing more — humidity is too low, the membrane dries and the chick sticks to the shell.
Temperature is checked with a thermometer, humidity with a scale. A hygrometer helps, but it won’t show weight loss.
Common mistakes
- chicken settings for goose and duck eggs — no cooling and turning stopped too early;
- Muscovy ducks on the standard duck program: turning stops a week before pipping;
- mixed species on one tray — hatch dates don’t match;
- opening the incubator during the hatch — humidity drops in minutes.
General home incubation mistakes are in the home incubation article, and choosing a machine in the incubator guide.
Setting eggs in the app
In EggPulse each setting records the species, breed and date, and the app creates tasks for candling, cooling and stopping the turner. You can change the incubation period for your breed, and the hatch result of every setting is saved so batches can be compared.
