Stop turning eggs three days before they are due to hatch: day 18 for chickens, day 25 for ducks and day 14 for Coturnix quail. That is the start of lockdown. From then on you raise the humidity, keep the lid shut and let the chicks do the work. Opening the incubator now costs more hatches than any other mistake in the last stretch.
Lockdown is the final phase of incubation. Three things change on the day it starts:
Day 0 is the day the eggs go in. Lockdown is the day you stop turning and raise the humidity:
| Species | Incubation days | Stop turning (lockdown) | Humidity at hatch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 21 | Day 18 | 65–70 % |
| Coturnix quail | 17 | Day 14 | 65–70 % |
| Bobwhite quail | 23 | Day 20 | 65–70 % |
| Duck | 28 | Day 25 | 65–75 % |
| Muscovy duck | 35 | Day 32 | 65–75 % |
| Goose | 30 | Day 27 | 70–75 % |
| Turkey | 28 | Day 25 | 65–70 % |
Every species on the chart follows the same rule of thumb: three days before the due date. The full list for 11 birds is on the incubation chart, and the hatch date calculator gives your own dates from the day you set the eggs.
Turn at least three times a day, and always an odd number of times. An odd number means the egg spends alternate nights on alternate sides. Many keepers turn five times a day. An automatic turner does it for you, and a hand-turned tray works if you mark the eggs with an X on one side and an O on the other, so you can see which have been turned.
Lockdown day is easy to miss when a batch has been in for weeks, or when you have several batches at different stages. Hatch Day counts down to hatch day for 11 species and reminds you about turning, candling and lockdown, with daily temperature and humidity targets. It is free on Android and iPhone and works offline.
More guides are in the egg incubation section, including why eggs do not hatch.
On day 18 of a 21-day incubation, which is three days before the expected hatch. Stop turning, raise the humidity to about 65 to 70 percent and keep the incubator closed until the chicks are dry.
Lockdown is the last stretch of incubation. You stop turning the eggs, raise the humidity and do not open the incubator, so the chicks can position themselves, pip and hatch.
For ducks, on day 25 of 28. For Coturnix quail, on day 14 of 17. Other species are roughly three days before hatch; the incubation chart lists each one.
At least three times a day, and always an odd number so the egg sits on alternate sides overnight. An automatic turner does this for you.
Avoid it. Opening the lid drops the humidity, which can dry the membrane around pipped eggs and trap the chick. Wait until the chicks are fluffy and dry.
Work out why your eggs did not hatch by looking at when they failed: clear at day 7, dead at day 10, or fully formed but dead in the shell. Each stage points to different fixes.
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