Incubator Temperature and Humidity Guide

Settings by egg type

These are starting points for a digital incubator with circulating air. Always follow the settings in your machine’s manual and training where they differ.

Why temperature matters most

Half a degree too hot for days on end and chicks hatch early, weak or deformed; too cold and they hatch late or not at all. Check your incubator’s reading against a second, trusted thermometer placed at egg height before your first batch, and avoid placing the incubator in direct sun or next to a heater.

Getting humidity right

An egg loses water through its shell during incubation, which makes the air cell grow. Too humid and the chick is large and sticky with little room to move; too dry and the membrane shrinks around the chick at hatch (“shrink-wrapped”). Candle on day 7, 14 and 18 and compare the air cell with a chart: a small air cell means lower the humidity, a large one means raise it.

Adjusting for South African weather

• Highveld winters (Gauteng, Free State, North West, Mpumalanga): very dry air. Keep the water trays topped up and check humidity daily.
• Humid coast (Durban, KZN South Coast, Eastern Cape coast): humidity can run high in summer. Use less water surface before lockdown.
• Hot interior (Northern Cape, Limpopo lowveld): keep the incubator room cool and shaded so the machine is not fighting the room temperature.