Incubator Capacity Planner
Check whether a weekly setting schedule fits your incubator, find the largest set that fits, and get a dated set, lockdown, and hatch schedule with expected chicks per week.
Free · no account · works on mobile · embeddable
Best for breeders and small hatcheries running staggered or weekly hatches. Updated .
Your machines
Your setting plan
Does the plan fit?
The overlap count assumes the hatched set is pulled before the new set goes in on the same day. If a hatch runs a day late or chicks dry in the machine overnight, 4 sets are inside at once (144 eggs), so leave one set of spare capacity in a combined unit or move hatching to a tray or hatcher.
| Set | Set date | Lockdown | Hatch | Eggs in incubator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon, September 28, 2026 | Fri, October 16, 2026 | Mon, October 19, 2026 | 36 |
| 2 | Mon, October 5, 2026 | Fri, October 23, 2026 | Mon, October 26, 2026 | 72 |
| 3 | Mon, October 12, 2026 | Fri, October 30, 2026 | Mon, November 2, 2026 | 108 |
| 4 | Mon, October 19, 2026 | Fri, November 6, 2026 | Mon, November 9, 2026 | 108 |
| 5 | Mon, October 26, 2026 | Fri, November 13, 2026 | Mon, November 16, 2026 | 108 |
| 6 | Mon, November 2, 2026 | Fri, November 20, 2026 | Mon, November 23, 2026 | 108 |
| 7 | Mon, November 9, 2026 | Fri, November 27, 2026 | Mon, November 30, 2026 | 108 |
| 8 | Mon, November 16, 2026 | Fri, December 4, 2026 | Mon, December 7, 2026 | 108 |
Sets overlapping = days each set occupies the machine ÷ set interval, rounded up. Peak eggs = overlapping sets x eggs per set. Max eggs per set = capacity ÷ overlapping sets. Hatch dates are the standard incubation period; your incubator and egg storage can move a hatch by a day.
About the incubator capacity planner
A weekly hatch sounds simple until three sets of eggs are in the incubator at once and the fourth does not fit. This planner takes your incubator capacity, the species, how often you set, and how many eggs per set, and works out how many sets overlap at the busiest moment and whether that fits. It reports the largest set the machine can take at your interval, chicks per set and per week at your hatch rate, and a dated schedule of set, lockdown, and hatch days for the weeks you are planning.
It handles a single combined incubator and a separate setter and hatcher, where eggs move at lockdown and the two machines have different capacities.
How many sets overlap
A chicken set occupies a combined incubator for 21 days. Setting every 7 days means sets from day 0, day 7, and day 14 are all inside when the day 21 set goes in as the first one hatches out, so sets at once = days each set occupies the machine divided by the set interval, rounded up: 3 for chickens weekly, 4 for 28-day ducks or turkeys weekly, 2 for 17-day Coturnix quail. Peak eggs = sets at once times eggs per set, and the plan fits when that is no more than the rated capacity. The largest set that fits is capacity divided by sets at once. That count assumes the hatched set is pulled before the new set goes in on the same day. If your hatch runs a day late or chicks dry in the machine overnight, four weekly chicken sets are inside at once, so leave one set's worth of spare capacity in a combined unit or move to a hatching tray.
Separate setter and hatcher
With a hatcher, eggs occupy the setter only until lockdown (day 18 for chickens) and the hatcher for the last stretch (days 18 to 21). Weekly chicken sets then overlap three deep in the setter but only one deep in the hatcher, so a small hatcher can serve a large setter. The planner checks both machines and reports the tighter one. Incubation lengths and lockdown days come from the Mississippi State University Extension incubation table; the custom option takes your own numbers.
Chicks per week and the schedule
Chicks per set is eggs per set times your hatch of set, and chicks per week scales that to the interval. Use your own average from the hatch rate calculator rather than a hopeful number. The schedule lists every set in the planning window with its lockdown and hatch date and how many eggs are in the machine after that set goes in, which is the number to check against capacity and against the shipping days in the chick shipping day planner. The planner counts eggs and days only; follow your incubator manual for temperature, humidity, and ventilation.
Worked example
A single 120-egg incubator, chicken eggs (21 days, lockdown day 18), 36 eggs set every 7 days, planned for 8 weeks at an 80% hatch of set, first set on Monday, September 28, 2026. Three sets overlap at once, so the peak load is 108 of 120 eggs and the plan fits; the largest weekly set that fits is 40 eggs (4 spare per set). Each set yields 28.8 chicks, which at a weekly interval is 28.8 chicks a week; over the 8 sets that is 288 eggs set and about 230 chicks. Set 1 reaches lockdown on Friday, October 16 and hatches Monday, October 19, 2026; set 8 goes in on Monday, November 16 and hatches Monday, December 7, 2026.
Sources
- Mississippi State University Extension, Important incubation factors (incubation requirements table). Incubation period and last turning day by species: chicken 21 days, do not turn after day 18; turkey and duck 28 and 25; Muscovy 35 to 37 and 31; goose 28 to 34 and 25; guinea 28 and 25; pheasant 23 to 28 and 21; Bobwhite 23 to 24 and 20; Coturnix 17 and 15. Accessed Sep 4, 2026.
- Mississippi State University Extension, Incubation duration periods. Chickens 21 days, turkeys and most ducks 28, Coturnix quail 17, Bobwhite quail 23, geese about 33. Accessed Sep 4, 2026.
This calculator gives planning estimates from the numbers you enter. It is not accounting, tax, veterinary, or legal advice. Replace the defaults with your own farm records whenever you have them.
Frequently asked questions
How many eggs can I set per week in my incubator?
Divide the rated capacity by the number of sets that overlap. For chickens set weekly in a combined incubator, three sets overlap, so a 120-egg machine takes 40 eggs a week. With a separate hatcher the setter only holds eggs 18 days, still three weekly sets, but the hatcher only needs room for one.
Can I hatch eggs at different stages in the same incubator?
Yes, this is a staggered hatch, and it is how weekly chick supply works. The trade-off is humidity: hatching eggs want higher humidity than developing eggs, so a separate hatcher or a hatching tray in the same cabinet gives better results than raising humidity for everything.
What is lockdown and why does it matter for capacity?
Lockdown is when turning stops and eggs move to the hatcher or hatching tray: day 18 for chickens, day 25 for most 28-day species. In a setter and hatcher system it is the day eggs leave the setter, which is why the setter needs less capacity per set than a combined incubator.
How many chicks will I get per week?
Eggs per set times your hatch of set, scaled to your interval. Thirty-six eggs a week at 80% is about 29 chicks a week. Use the average from your last several hatches, not the best one.
Related free tools
Add this calculator to your website
Copy the snippet into an HTML block. The calculator stays free and up to date; please keep the small Farmstand credit link.
<iframe src="https://thenewfarmstand.com/embed/tools/incubator-capacity-planner" title="Incubator Capacity Planner" width="100%" height="1100" style="border:1px solid #dfe7dc;border-radius:16px;max-width:100%" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Powered by <a href="https://thenewfarmstand.com/tools/incubator-capacity-planner">Incubator Capacity Planner from The New Farmstand</a></p>No login, cookies, or Farmstand account required to use the embedded calculator.
Get practical farm-business tools in your inbox
Calculator updates and useful notes on forecasting, pricing, and direct sales. Your result is already yours; email is completely optional.
Ready to stop rebuilding the same farm spreadsheet?
Farmstand connects production forecasts, products, orders, subscriptions, customers, and farm records in one place.