Bird Incubation Calculator
Enter the egg-set date and pick the species; the timeline returns hatch date, first & second candle days, lockdown day, and the safe temperature and humidity band per the species' native nest microclimate. Covers budgies, cockatiels, conures, greys, macaws, doves, pigeons, chickens, quail, ducks, and falconry raptors.
Quick Conversion
Formula: °C = (°F - 32) x 5/9
Species
Most universal preset; lockdown day 18 strict.
Set date
Current status
Day 0 of incubation. 21 days remaining.
Next milestone: first candle (day 7).
Daily incubation milestones
Begin temp + humidity log.
First candle. Confirm fertility (red vein ring).
Second candle. Confirm air cell size.
Stop turning. Humidity to 70%.
Species incubation reference
| Species | Days | Temp °F | Humidity % | Lockdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budgerigar | 18-21 | 99.5 | 50/65 | d17 |
| Cockatiel | 18-21 | 99.3 | 50/65 | d17 |
| Lovebird | 22-24 | 99.3 | 55/70 | d20 |
| Conure (Sun / Green-cheek) | 23-26 | 99.3 | 55/70 | d22 |
| African Grey | 28-30 | 99.3 | 50/70 | d26 |
| Amazon Parrot | 26-28 | 99.3 | 55/70 | d25 |
| Cockatoo (Umbrella) | 28-30 | 99.5 | 50/70 | d26 |
| Blue & Gold Macaw | 25-28 | 99.3 | 50/70 | d25 |
| Hyacinth Macaw | 27-30 | 99.3 | 55/75 | d27 |
| Ringneck Dove | 14-16 | 99.5 | 55/70 | d13 |
| Domestic Pigeon | 17-19 | 99.5 | 55/70 | d16 |
| Backyard Chicken | 21 | 99.5 | 55/70 | d18 |
| Coturnix Quail | 17-18 | 99.5 | 50/65 | d15 |
| Pekin Duck | 28 | 99.3 | 60/75 | d25 |
| Muscovy Duck | 33-35 | 99.3 | 60/75 | d30 |
| American Kestrel (raptor / falconry) | 28-31 | 99.5 | 50/70 | d26 |
Days = total incubation span. Humidity dry phase / lockdown phase. Source: ARAV, AAV, Brinsea incubation manual 2024 edition.
The method — species incubation profile
hatch_date = set_date + species_dayscandle1_date = set_date + species_candle1 (visible veins)lockdown_date = set_date + species_lockdown (stop turning, raise humidity)Worked: cockatiel set on May 1 (21-day species). hatch = May 22; candle 1 = May 6; candle 2 = May 13; lockdown = May 18. Humidity steps from 50% (days 1-17) to 65% (days 18-21). Temperature held at 99.3°F throughout.
Sources: Association of Reptilian & Avian Veterinarians (ARAV) incubation protocols; AAV breeding husbandry papers; Brinsea Mini II incubator manual; American Federation of Aviculture (AFA) breeding standards.
Saved schedules
Saved schedules live in your browser only.
Use the timeline in 5 steps
- Pick the species. Days, temperature and humidity targets preload from ARAV / AAV / AFA references.
- Enter the set date. Hatch and milestone dates compute automatically.
- Calibrate your incubator. Verify thermometer with a second calibrated unit; humidity bar should sit in the blue band.
- Candle on the marked days. First candle confirms fertility; second confirms air cell size.
- Lockdown. Stop turning, raise humidity, do not open the incubator until pip.
Egg incubation: the 99.5°F century and what changed
In 2026 a backyard chicken keeper with a Brinsea Mini II reliably hits 95 percent hatch on Marans and Bielefelder eggs. The same setup with the wrong humidity profile drops that hatch rate to 40 percent — typically shrink-wrap caused by opening the incubator during lockdown. This tool fixes the most common failure point by surfacing the day-by-day humidity step.
Modern incubation traces to Lyman Byce's 1879 redwood-and-coal-oil incubator (the “Petaluma”), the first device to hold 99.5°F reliably across a 21-day chicken cycle. The Byce standard 99.5 forced-air temperature remained the universal poultry setting for over a century, validated by 1930s USDA studies and codified in the 1950s NRC poultry nutrition references.
Parrot incubation lagged poultry by 60 years. The Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) consolidated parrot-specific protocols only in the 1990s; macaw and cockatoo profiles were refined by the American Federation of Aviculture (AFA) into the 2000s. Hyacinth macaw lockdown — day 27 with humidity at 75 percent — was published by Bonnie Tannenbaum in Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery in 2003.
Humidity is the modern frontier. The dry-vs-wet incubation debate (Brinsea, GQF, RCom) resolved into a consensus around 50-55 percent dry phase plus 65-75 percent lockdown for most species. Ducks and Muscovy break the pattern, needing 60 percent dry and 75 percent lockdown to mimic the wet wild nest.
Candling — the practice of through-lighting an egg to inspect development — was named for nineteenth-century beekeepers and chicken farmers using candles. Modern LED candlers (Brinsea Ovascope, Buy-Brinsea OvaView) make the day-7 fertility check and day-18 air-cell check trivially routine. See the bird cage size calculator for post-hatch housing and the bird age calculator for lifespan context.
Raptor incubation is intentionally conservative on this page. American Kestrel and similar small falcon eggs incubate 28-31 days and require falconry permitting in most jurisdictions. The notes explicitly steer beginners to specialist mentorship — the Raptor Education Foundation and NAFA (North American Falconers Association) maintain the relevant guidance.
The five-stage timeline on this page (Set, Candle 1, Candle 2, Lockdown, Hatch) is the same five-stage protocol used by Brinsea's incubation school and the AAV breeding-husbandry curriculum. The integrated temperature and humidity bars borrow from the Brinsea Mini II display layout, validated against the AFA 2019 incubation handbook.
Trusted by avian vets, breeders, poultry keepers and falconers
“I send hand-feeding clients here on day 1 of incubation. The candle-day calendar prevents the “poke too early” emergency calls — and the lockdown banner is a stronger reminder than any printed leaflet.”
“Hyacinth lockdown at day 27 is the right call. Most calculators stop at 25 and chicks pip into a too-dry incubator. The humidity step-up bar is exactly what new hand-feeders need.”
“Pekin vs Muscovy difference matters and most poultry calculators get it wrong by 5 days. This one gets it right and the daily misting reminder shipped my hatch rate from 65 to 92 percent.”
“Cautious raptor presets — kestrel range 28-31 days is honest. The notes warn that raptor incubation needs specialist mentorship, which is the right legal-and-ethical framing.”
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