Why are my eggs not hatching in the incubator?

The most common causes of failed hatches in Kenya are: infertile eggs or poor parent stock, incorrect temperature (must be 37.5°C), wrong humidity levels (55-60% days 1-18, 70% lockdown), opening the incubator during lockdown (days 19-21), eggs too old (hatch within 7 days of collection), and poor ventilation.

What temperature should an egg incubator be in Kenya?

Chicken eggs require a constant temperature of 37.5°C (99.5°F) throughout incubation. Even small fluctuations of ±0.5°C can affect hatch rates. On day 18 (lockdown), maintain 37.5°C and raise humidity to 70% until hatching is complete.

Why Your Eggs Are Not Hatching — And How to Fix It

Most failed hatches are caused by multiple factors working together — not a single issue. A batch that fails completely usually has at least 2–3 of the problems below happening at once. Work through each systematically before blaming the machine.

1. Egg Quality — The Root Cause of Most Failures

A good incubator cannot fix a bad egg. Fertilized eggs must come from healthy, well-fed parent stock with confirmed fertility. Eggs that are cracked, too old, dirty, or from stressed parent birds have dramatically lower hatch rates regardless of incubator quality.

Fix: Source only from certified parent stock. EcoKuku fertilized eggs come from our own well-managed flocks.

Fix: Hatch within 7 days of collection — hatchability drops significantly after that.

Fix: Store eggs at 15–18°C, pointed end down, before incubation.

Fix: Candle eggs at day 7 to remove infertile ones before they contaminate the batch.

2. Wrong Temperature

Chicken eggs require a constant 37.5°C throughout incubation. Even ±0.5°C sustained over hours affects embryo development. Too hot causes early deaths and malformed chicks. Too cold slows development and produces weak chicks that cannot break the shell.

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Kenya-specific problem: Power cuts cause temperature drops in standard electric incubators. A 2-hour cut during lockdown can reduce temperature by 5°C or more. This is why AC/DC incubators — which automatically switch to battery or solar — are essential in Kenya. See our AC/DC models →

3. Incorrect Humidity

Humidity controls how much moisture the egg loses during incubation. Too low and the egg dries out — the chick cannot turn to pip. Too high and excess moisture prevents the chick from absorbing the yolk sac.

Days 1–18: 55–60% relative humidity

Days 19–21 (lockdown): raise to 65–70%

Fix: Check and refill water channels daily. Do not let them run dry at any point.

Fix: Use a separate hygrometer to verify your incubator's built-in reading is accurate.

4. Opening During Lockdown

This is the single most common mistake among first-time hatchery owners. On day 18, you enter lockdown: egg turning stops, humidity rises, and the incubator must not be opened until all chicks have hatched or clearly failed. Opening it — even briefly — causes a sudden humidity drop that can cause developing chicks to stick to the membrane and die.

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Rule: From day 18 to day 22, the incubator stays closed. No exceptions. If you need to see what is happening, use a torch through the viewing window. Patience during lockdown is worth more than any intervention you could make.

5. Poor Ventilation

Developing embryos consume oxygen and produce CO₂. If ventilation is blocked, CO₂ builds up and embryos suffocate in the later stages. You will find well-developed dead-in-shell chicks at days 18–19 — this is almost always a ventilation problem.

Fix: Never place the incubator against a wall — it needs airflow around all sides.

Fix: Do not block or seal ventilation holes, even partially.

Fix: Open vents slightly more during the last 3 days as oxygen demand peaks.

6. Eggs Too Old at Time of Setting

Fertilized eggs are most viable within 7 days of being laid. At 10 days, hatchability drops noticeably. At 14 days, most will not hatch. If you are buying from a supplier and the eggs have been sitting for 10+ days, expect poor results regardless of your management.

Problem	Symptom	Fix
Infertile eggs	Clear at candling day 7	Better parent stock
Temperature too high	Early deaths, malformed chicks	Calibrate thermometer
Temperature too low	Slow development, late hatching	AC/DC incubator for power cuts
Humidity too low	Chicks stuck to membrane	Refill water channels daily
Humidity too high	Chicks drown in yolk sac	Reduce water, improve ventilation
Opened during lockdown	Chicks fully formed but dead	Never open days 18–22
Poor ventilation	Dead-in-shell at days 18–19	Space from walls, open vents
Old eggs	Low overall hatch rate	Hatch within 7 days of collection

View AC/DC Incubators → How to Get 90% Hatch Rate → AC vs DC Incubators →

Why Your Eggs Are Not Hatching