Printable Chicken Egg Incubation Checklist—Day 1 to Hatch

July 29, 2026

Use this checklist beside your incubator and add spaces for daily temperature, humidity and turning records.

Before Incubation

☐ Clean the incubator and remove all debris.
☐ Disinfect it with a suitable product.
☐ Allow the incubator to dry completely.
☐ Run it empty for at least 24 hours.
☐ Confirm the temperature remains stable.
☐ Check humidity.
☐ Test the automatic turner.
☐ Compare readings with separate calibrated instruments.
☐ Prepare the brooder before the expected hatch.
☐ Purchase fresh chick starter.
☐ Prepare chick-safe drinkers.
☐ Select normal-shaped, intact eggs.
☐ Reject cracked, leaking or heavily contaminated eggs.
☐ Record the breeding pen and collection date.

Day 1: Setting Eggs

☐ Allow stored eggs to warm gradually before setting.
☐ Place eggs in the correct position.
☐ Confirm broad ends face upward in upright trays.
☐ Record the setting date and time.
☐ Record the expected hatch date.
☐ Confirm the turner is operating.
☐ Avoid adjusting controls repeatedly during the initial recovery period.

Days 2–6

☐ Check temperature at consistent times.
☐ Check humidity.
☐ Confirm eggs are turning.
☐ Refill water channels only when needed.
☐ Maintain ventilation.
☐ Record power interruptions or equipment problems.
☐ Avoid unnecessary opening.

Around Day 7: First Candling

☐ Wash and dry hands before handling eggs.
☐ Candle eggs briefly in a dark room.
☐ Look for veins and embryo development.
☐ Mark uncertain eggs for rechecking.
☐ Remove leaking or foul-smelling eggs safely.
☐ Record fertile, clear and uncertain eggs.
☐ Check air-cell development.

Days 8–13

☐ Continue turning.
☐ Continue temperature checks.
☐ Continue humidity checks.
☐ Maintain ventilation.
☐ Monitor gradual air-cell growth.
☐ Check egg-weight loss if using the weighing method.

Around Day 14: Second Candling

☐ Confirm continued development.
☐ Look for movement where visible.
☐ Recheck eggs previously marked as uncertain.
☐ Remove confirmed dead eggs carefully.
☐ Record findings.
☐ Review air-cell size or egg-weight trend.
☐ Adjust humidity gradually if necessary.

Days 15–17

☐ Continue turning.
☐ Keep temperature stable.
☐ Maintain appropriate humidity.
☐ Confirm ventilation openings remain clear.
☐ Prepare clean hatching surfaces.
☐ Test the brooder’s heat source.
☐ Confirm chick feed and water equipment are ready.

Day 18: Lockdown

☐ Stop turning the eggs.
☐ Remove or disable the automatic turner.
☐ Position eggs for hatching.
☐ Increase water surface area for hatch humidity.
☐ Maintain ventilation.
☐ Close the incubator.
☐ Avoid unnecessary opening.
☐ Perform a final brooder check.

Days 19–22: Hatching Period

☐ Observe eggs through the incubator window.
☐ Listen for peeping.
☐ Watch for internal or external pipping.
☐ Allow chicks to rest between stages.
☐ Avoid assisting prematurely.
☐ Avoid repeatedly opening the incubator.
☐ Move dry chicks to the brooder in sensible groups.
☐ Record hatch times and abnormalities.
☐ Do not discard remaining eggs simply because Day 21 has arrived.

After the Hatch

☐ Count the chicks that hatched.
☐ Record unhatched eggs.
☐ Calculate fertility.
☐ Calculate hatch of fertile eggs.
☐ Examine recurring hatch problems carefully.
☐ Dispose of unhatched eggs hygienically.
☐ Remove shell debris.
☐ Clean and disinfect the incubator.
☐ Let all incubator parts dry completely.
☐ Review the records before the next hatch.

Useful Calculations

Fertility percentage

$\text{Fertility percentage} = \frac{\text{Fertile eggs}}{\text{Total eggs set}} \times 100$

Hatch of fertile eggs

$\text{Hatch of fertile} = \frac{\text{Chicks hatched}}{\text{Fertile eggs}} \times 100$

These figures should be recorded separately. A low total hatch may result from poor fertility, poor hatchability or a combination of both.