Incubation Guidelines
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.
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.
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.
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
