Calculate your poultry hatch date and key incubation milestones.
Incubation Details
Hatch Timeline
Expected Hatch DateSep 10, 2026
Lockdown DateSep 7, 2026
Stop turning and increase humidity.
Candling DayAug 27, 2026
Best time to check fertility (Day 7).
Incubation Stages
Aug 20, 2026
Set
Aug 27, 2026
Candle
Sep 7, 2026
Lockdown
Sep 10, 2026
Hatch
About this calculator
Overview
Incubating eggs is a precise biological process. For chickens (21 days), the embryo grows from a tiny cluster of cells to a fully formed chick capable of breaking its own shell.
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Pro Tips
Stability: Run the incubator for 24 hours BEFORE adding eggs to ensure stable temp/humidity.
Candling: Check at Day 7-10. 'Clears' are infertile; 'Blood Rings' are early deaths. Remove them to prevent rotting.
Lockdown: At 3 days before hatch, increase humidity to 65%+. DO NOT OPEN the incubator until the hatch is complete to prevent shrink-wrapping.
Pipping: The first crack in the shell is 'pipping'. It can take 12-24 hours from pip to zip (hatch). Be patient!
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Fun Facts
"Chicks develop a temporary 'egg tooth' on their beak specifically to break the shell."
"Embryos begin to 'breathe' air from the internal air cell about 24 hours before hatching."
"Heartbeats start as early as Day 3 of incubation."
"Turning eggs prevents the developing embryo from sticking to the shell membrane."
