Hatch Rate Calculator
Analyze your incubation success and fertility metrics.
How to Calculate Hatch Rate: A Guide for Poultry Keepers
Understanding your hatch rate is the most effective way to troubleshoot your breeding program and incubator settings. Whether you are hatching chickens, ducks, or quail, tracking these metrics allows you to identify if problems stem from the flock (fertility) or the incubation process (hatchability).
The Three Key Metrics
To get a complete picture of your success, you need to calculate three specific percentages:
- Fertility Rate: This measures how many of the eggs you set were actually capable of developing. It reflects the health and activity of your roosters and hens.
- Hatch of Fertile: This is the most critical metric for testing your incubator. It calculates the percentage of developed embryos that successfully made it to hatch.
- Total Hatch Rate: This is your overall "farm efficiency" number, comparing the number of live chicks to the total number of eggs you started with.
The Formulas
If you prefer to calculate these by hand, use the following math:
Hatch of Fertile Formula: (Chicks Hatched / Fertile Eggs) x 100
Total Hatch Rate Formula: (Chicks Hatched / Total Eggs Set) x 100
Realistic Example
Imagine you put 24 chicken eggs in your incubator. After 7 days, you candle the eggs and find that 20 are developing (fertile) and 4 are "clears" (infertile). On day 21, 18 chicks hatch successfully.
- Fertility Rate: (20 / 24) x 100 = 83.3%
- Hatch of Fertile: (18 / 20) x 100 = 90%
- Total Hatch Rate: (18 / 24) x 100 = 75%
In this scenario, a 90% "Hatch of Fertile" rate is excellent, suggesting the incubator is working perfectly. The 83.3% fertility suggests there might be room to improve flock management or breeder ratios.
Tips for Improving Your Hatch Rate
If your Hatch of Fertile rate is below 80%, check your incubator's humidity levels (especially during the lockdown phase) and ensure your thermometer is calibrated. If your Fertility Rate is low, consider the age of your breeders, their nutrition, and the male-to-female ratio in your coop.