Egg Hatch Date Calculator

How this calculator works

Each species has a standard incubation period, and the hatch date is simply your set date plus that number of days. The calculator also shows the lockdown date, the day when eggs stop being turned and humidity is raised for hatching, which is usually three days before the hatch for chickens and ducks. It suggests two candling days: day 7 to spot clear or blood-ring eggs, and a second check about two-thirds of the way through to see embryo development.

Incubation periods

A worked example

Chicken eggs set on March 1 hatch on March 22. Lockdown falls on day 18, March 19, and you candle on March 8 (day 7) and March 15 (day 14). Hatching often begins on day 20 or 21 and finishes by day 22 or 23.

Where these numbers come from

Incubation periods and lockdown days are standard figures from hatchery and extension poultry guides. Shell age, incubator accuracy and storage conditions can shift timing by a day or two, and breed differences exist, particularly for geese and guineas. Lockdown timing varies slightly between sources, so follow your incubator's own instructions if they differ.