A hatch rate of 40–50% in a home incubator is not “just how it goes.” It’s a sign that a mistake has been made somewhere. Run properly, 70–80% of the eggs you set should make it to hatching. Let’s go through the settings, and then through what usually spoils them.
The egg before setting
Half the success is decided before the incubator.
- Set fresh eggs. Up to a week of storage hurts hatching very little; after that it falls fast.
- Store at 12–16 °C, pointed end down, away from drafts and radiators.
- Don’t wash them. Washing strips the protective bloom that lets the egg breathe and keeps bacteria out. Wipe dirty ones with a dry cloth.
- Let eggs warm to room temperature before setting.
Settings by species
| Bird | Days | Temperature, °C | Humidity, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 21 | 37.5–37.8 | 45–55, 65–70 at hatching |
| Quail | 17–18 | 37.5 | 50–60, 65–70 at hatching |
| Duck | 28 | 37.5 | 55–60, 70–75 at hatching |
| Goose | 28–30 | 37.5 | 55–60, 70–75 at hatching |
These are for a forced-air incubator. In still-air models the temperature has to be held a little higher, and the manual for your particular unit matters most.
Turning
Eggs are turned 3–5 times a day (an automatic turner does it for you) and turning stops shortly before hatching: three days before for chickens, two or three for quail, four or five for waterfowl. If you turn by hand, mark each egg with a pencil on both sides, so you can see which have been done.
Candling
Check the eggs against a light two or three times.
- Day 7–8 for chickens. You see a web of vessels and the dark dot of the embryo. A clear, bright egg is infertile; a ring of blood means the embryo died. Remove those, or they will spoil and spoil their neighbors.
- Day 11–12. The embryo fills nearly the whole egg, and the air cell shows at the blunt end.
- Before hatching. The air cell is large and sharply outlined, and the shadow inside doesn’t move.
Candle quickly, in a few minutes, so the eggs don’t cool.
What most often ruins a hatch
- Overheating. A spike of 1–2 degrees for a few hours kills some embryos. Underheating delays hatching and gives weak chicks.
- An unchecked thermometer. Built-in sensors often read a degree off. Put a second thermometer in the incubator and compare.
- Humidity by eye. Too low and the membranes dry, so the chick sticks to the shell. Too high and moisture doesn’t leave, so the chick hatches wet and sluggish.
- Opening the lid during hatching. Stay out until the chicks have hatched and dried. A sudden drop in humidity kills those still in the shell.
- A weak parent flock. If the hens were poorly fed, the egg will be weak at any setting.
- Power cuts. A few hours is no disaster; a whole day likely means a lost batch. Have a backup power source.
Date, number of eggs, temperature, candling results, number hatched. After two or three batches you will see what exactly is off for you, instead of just “bad luck.”
After hatching
Let the chicks dry in the incubator, then move them to a brooder that is already warm. After that come the first two weeks, where heat, water and feed decide everything.
Incubation records
EggPulse has an Incubation section: incubators, ready-made settings for different species, candling reminders and the hatch result for each setting. You can compare batches and see which settings work best for you.
