Incubation Guidelines
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Before incubation, allow your eggs to rest pointy-end down for 12–24 hours. This helps them reach room temperature and lets the air cell settle properly.
Prepare your incubator a few days in advance. Use a separate, calibrated thermometer and hygrometer to confirm it holds the correct temperature and humidity—factory settings are often inaccurate. We recommend ThermoPro units from Hatching Time for reliable readings.
Important: Egg viability drops significantly after 10 days. Be ready to incubate as soon as your eggs have rested.
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Recommended Settings:
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Temperature: 99.5°F
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Humidity: 45% or lower during incubation; increase to 55–60% at lockdown
If you choose to candle, do so at lockdown. For quail, a viable egg appears mostly dark with a visible air cell. Avoid turning the egg blunt-end down; always keep the air cell upright and minimize handling.
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Once in lockdown (day 14 for quail, day 18 for chickens), do not open the incubator—especially after pipping begins. Sudden humidity drops can cause the inner membrane to shrink-wrap the chick, leading to fatal complications.
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Let chicks hatch fully before removing them:
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Quail chicks: Remove within 24–48 hours (24 is best)
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Chicken chicks: Can stay in the incubator for up to 72 hours
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