What is Lockdown Day in Incubating? A Step-by-Step Guide
If you're new to incubating, you might be wondering: What exactly is lockdown? What does it involve? Let me walk you through the process and share a few insights I’ve picked up along the way.
What is Lockdown?
Lockdown Day is simply the final stage before hatching. It’s the point when:
You remove the eggs from the turner or stop manually turning them.
You increase the humidity in the incubator.
And most importantly, you do not open or touch the incubator again until hatching is done.
If you're imagining something high-tech or complicated, it’s not. The term “lockdown” really just means: Quit messing with your eggs!
My Lockdown Process
Here’s how I handle it, step by step:
1. Remove Eggs from the Turner
I take the eggs out of the automatic turners and place them into my hatching trays.
2. Use a Liner
The baskets have a hard plastic bottom, which isn’t ideal for newly hatched chicks. I use a simple kitchen shelf liner (Dollar General sells a roll for about $1.50). This helps the chicks get a good grip and prevents splay leg, a condition where they can’t stand properly.
You can also use blue shop towels or another soft surface—just make sure your chicks aren’t hatching on slippery plastic.
3. Don’t Let Eggs Cool
Once the eggs are out of the turner, work quickly. You don’t want them to lose too much heat.
4. Set Humidity and Temperature
I use the Hatching Time CT120 incubator, which holds 312 eggs. I lock it down at:
Temperature: 99.5°F
Humidity: 65%
The goal is to maintain a stable, moist environment to support hatching. Make sure your water tank is full—you don’t want to run dry during lockdown.
To Candle or Not to Candle?
Some people candle eggs at lockdown. I don’t.
Here’s why:
Candling 312 eggs is time-consuming.
I believe if an egg is going to hatch, it will. If it’s not, candling won’t change that.
Every time you handle eggs or open the incubator, you risk cooling them down or affecting humidity.
If you’ve got a smaller batch (say, under 36 eggs), candling might be worthwhile. For me, it's just not efficient.
What Does Higher Humidity Actually Do?
A lot of folks say that raising humidity “softens the shell.” That’s not quite accurate.
In reality, higher humidity makes the membrane inside the shell more permeable. This:
Makes it easier for chicks to break through.
Helps keep the membrane moist during hatching, which prevents a condition called shrink-wrapping—when the membrane dries and traps the chick, often fatally.
This is why it’s so important not to open the incubator once lockdown begins. A sudden drop in humidity can cause shrink-wrapping and kill your chicks.
When Do I Remove the Chicks?
Chicks can stay in the incubator up to 72 hours after hatching. I typically start removing them after 48 hours. By then, most of them have hatched, and I want to move them to the brooder while they still have strength from the absorbed yolk.
If there are any late hatchers, I’ll leave those eggs in for a little longer. But usually, by 48 hours, the majority of the hatch is complete.
Final Thoughts
To recap, Lockdown Day is:
Taking the eggs out of the turners.
Placing them in hatching baskets with a soft liner.
Increasing the humidity to around 65%.
And not opening the incubator until hatching is complete.
That’s it. It’s not complicated—but it is important.
Thanks for following along. God bless, and happy hatching!
— Graham Judd, Judd’s Quail