Essential Checklist for Incubating Chicken Eggs & Quail Eggs
Discover our detailed checklist for incubating chicken eggs and quail eggs. Learn about crucial incubation times, temperatures, and the hatching process. Get valuable tips to overcome common challenges in chicken egg incubation and ensure successful hatching.
Sarah Barratt
2/22/20262 min read
The Simple Incubation Plan
Here’s the no-nonsense version I follow.
Before You Start
Clean and disinfect the incubator.
Make sure your thermometer and hygrometer are accurate. Mercury and alcohol glass thermometers are the most accurate. Digital are usually inaccurate.
Stabilize temperature at 99.5°F (37.5°C).
Humidity at 30–40%.
Let it run empty for a while first. Make sure it’s steady.
Days 1–7
Turn eggs 3–5 times a day.
Check temperature and humidity daily.
Candle around Day 7.
Days 8–14
Keep turning.
Keep humidity 30–40%.
Candle again around Day 14.
Days 15–17
Keep turning.
Get your brooder ready (95°F for week one).
Lockdown
Chickens: Day 18
Quail: Day 15
Stop turning.
Raise humidity slightly to 35–45%.
And then ... hands off.
Do not keep opening the incubator. I know it’s tempting. We’ve all done it. It never helps.
A Few Common Hatch Issues (And What They Usually Mean)
Even good eggs from strong breeding stock can have a less-than-perfect hatch. Incubation matters.
Late hatch (Day 22 onwards for chickens, 19 onwards for quail).
Usually your average temperature ran a bit low.
Fully formed chick that didn’t hatch?
Often humidity was too low (shrink-wrapped) or too high (couldn’t manage the internal pip or drowned in the air cell moisture).
Sticky chicks?
Humidity too high early on.
Tiny air cell?
Humidity too high early.
Huge air cell?
Humidity too low early.
Most problems trace back to temperature or humidity consistency.
Quick Reference
Temp: 99.5°F (37.5°C)
Humidity Days 1–17 30–40%
Humidity Days 18–21 35–45%
Turn at least 3 times daily.
Chickens hatch in 21 days.
Quail hatch in 18 days.
From My Coop to Yours.
When you buy hatching eggs from a small breeder, you’re getting eggs from carefully chosen, well-fed birds — not mass-produced stock. I collect frequently, store properly, and pack with care.
But hatching is still nature. Not every egg is fertile, not every fertile egg will hatch. That's just life.
It isn’t 100% predictable. It isn’t always perfect. And that’s part of what makes it so rewarding.
If you’re nervous about trying your first hatch — that’s completely normal. Every one of us started there.
And when that first chick kicks its way out of the shell?
You’ll already be planning the next batch. 🐣
