Short answer: You can put more than one species in one incubator, but you cannot give each species its own clock. Chicken eggs hatch in 21 days, quail in 17 to 18, guinea fowl in 26 to 28, light ducks and turkeys in about 28. A machine runs one temperature, one humidity and one lockdown day, so every mixed set is a compromise. The workable routes are separate machines, a sensible humidity middle, and setting the slower species first so that lockdown lands on the same calendar day.
Key takeaways
- Species share a temperature well enough, but they do not share a day count, a humidity or a hatch window.
- Line up lockdown on the calendar, not the set day: set the faster species later.
- A humidity compromise of about 5 points either way is survivable for a week. A 15-point miss is not.
- Keep the trays, cards and candling sessions separate for each species, even in one cabinet.
- Brood each species on its own, because keets, chicks and poults do not start life on the same feed or heat.
A Saturday with two trays and one machine
A familiar scene. It is a Saturday, the cabinet has spare space on the bottom rack, and somebody on the farm has a tray of chicken eggs from the layers and another tray of guinea fowl eggs from the free-range pen. The machine is warm and it hums. The obvious question follows: why not put them both in and save the second machine?
The answer depends on the calendar. The eggs share the air, the warmth and the turner, so they look compatible on the day you set them. Their clocks are different, and that is where the trouble starts. A chicken egg goes into lockdown at day 18 and hatches at day 21. A guinea fowl egg runs longer, and the two trays will not finish together unless somebody plans it.
This article sets out what a single machine can carry, what it cannot, and the one planning trick that makes a mixed set workable in a Ghana farm. If you are still choosing a machine, our beginner's incubator guide covers the capacity and the features that matter when more than one species is on the list.
The clock is the problem, not the heat
Most farmers worry about temperature first, and that is the wrong priority. Almost every poultry species in Ghana incubates at about 37.5 °C in a forced-air cabinet, and a machine that holds that figure will do for most of them. The real difference is in how long each embryo needs, and when it needs the drier air at lockdown and the quiet of the hatch.
A cabinet has one lockdown day. When you stop the turner and raise the humidity for one tray, you do it for every tray. When the first chicks pip, the lid comes off for the whole machine. A species that is three or four days behind will be affected by every one of those decisions, whether it is ready for them or not.
That is the whole reason mixed sets fail. Not because the temperature is wrong, but because one species is finishing while another is still needing the turner, the wetter air and a closed lid.
Species day counts side by side
The table below uses the day counts and lockdown timings we would plan around. Treat the lockdown days as planning figures, and check them against the species guide you are following. The egg weights are rough, and they matter because a bigger egg loses water more slowly and needs a longer count to reach its target.
| Species | Days to hatch | Lockdown, about | Setter humidity, about | Egg, rough weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 21 | Day 18 | 40 to 50 percent, then 65 to 70 at lockdown | 55 to 60 g |
| Quail | 17 to 18 | Day 14 | 45 to 50 percent for the first two weeks | 10 to 12 g |
| Guinea fowl | 26 to 28 | Day 23 or 24 | Close to chicken in the setter, a little higher at lockdown | 40 to 45 g |
| Light duck | About 28 | Day 25 | 55 to 60 percent, then 70 to 75 at lockdown | 70 g |
| Turkey | About 28 | Day 25 | About 50 to 55 percent, then 65 to 70 at lockdown | 80 to 90 g |
| Goose | 28 to 30 | Day 25 or 26 | About 50 to 55 percent, then 65 to 70 at lockdown | 170 to 200 g |
Two rows stand out. Quail finish in about three fifths of the time a goose takes, so a shared cabinet with quail and goose is a clock problem more than a humidity problem. Light duck and goose sit close to one another on the calendar, but a duck egg needs a wetter setter than a goose egg, so they pull the humidity in different directions.
The figures for guinea fowl are the ones we find least precise in the field, and they vary by breed and by how the eggs were stored. Plan the lockdown on the calendar and then check the first pip on each tray, rather than trusting one number.
Why the hatch window is where mixed sets fail
The most common failure we hear about from mixed sets is not a poor hatch. It is a hatch that went right for one species and wrong for another. The first chicks pip in the cabinet, the farmer opens the lid to take them out, and the humidity drops for the guinea eggs that are still five days from pipping. The guinea eggs then dry, the membranes stiffen and the late hatch is weaker than it should be.
A second problem is the tray. A chick that hatches early, on a tray whose eggs still have days to go, means the lid comes off for a tray that should stay shut, and the cabinet loses heat and moisture for everything else. A keet that hatches early on a chicken tray is hard to see among the shells and easy to lose. Both are avoidable if each species has its own tray, its own card and its own removal plan.
The third problem is the cleaning. A cabinet that held quail shells last week and chicken shells this week is a risk for the next hatch, so clean and dry the machine between species and keep the shell fragments out of the drain. Our guide to cleaning an incubator sets out the routine.
The offset trick: align lockdown, not the set day
The one planning trick that makes a mixed cabinet workable is to set the species on different days so that they reach lockdown on the same calendar day. Lockdown is where the species need the most different things, so if they arrive there together, you have one plan to run instead of two. The embryos still have different days to hatch, but the hatch window is short and manageable.
Take guinea fowl and chicken as an example. Guinea fowl at 27 days with lockdown on day 24 will be ready for lockdown on calendar day 24 if set on day 0. Chicken at 21 days with lockdown on day 18 will reach lockdown on calendar day 24 if set six days later, on day 6. Both trays then hatch around calendar day 27, which is the day the two species share a hatch window.
| Calendar day | Guinea fowl (set day 0) | Chicken (set day 6) | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Set guinea eggs | Not in the machine | Guinea clock starts, record the set |
| 6 | Day 6, first candle | Set chicken eggs | Candle guinea, remove clears, then set the chicken tray |
| 18 | Day 18, turning continues | Day 12, turning continues | Check humidity for both trays |
| 24 | Day 24, lockdown | Day 18, lockdown | Both trays now stop turning and rise to lockdown humidity |
| 27 | Day 27, hatch window | Day 21, hatch | Keep the lid shut, separate the chicks and keets as they come |
The offset is not free. From calendar day 6 to day 24 the cabinet holds two sets at different ages, which means two candle days, two turning routines and a humidity target that is a compromise. The payoff is that lockdown and hatch happen together, and you open the lid once for both rather than four times over four days.
If the offset does not suit your stock, the answer is a second machine, not a longer candling session. A planning table is only useful if you follow it.
The humidity compromise: how far off is too far
When two species need different humidity, pick a middle figure and say so on the card. The middle is not perfect for either species, and the question is how far off it leaves each one. A miss of about 5 points for a week is usually survivable, because the embryo adjusts its moisture loss without major harm. A miss of 15 points is not, and it shows up at candling as weight loss that is far too fast or far too slow.
Take a mixed set of chicken and light duck. Chicken eggs want a setter near 40 to 50 percent, and duck eggs want 55 to 60 percent. A compromise at 50 to 55 percent leaves chicken eggs about 5 points wetter than they like, and duck eggs about 5 points drier. Both will tolerate it, provided the weight check on day 14 is in range for each species.
Weigh a sample of each species on day 0 and on day 14, and write the figures on separate cards. The percentage target differs by species, and so does the gram figure, because the eggs weigh different amounts. A duck egg and a chicken egg should both lose the right share of their own weight, not the same number of grams.
At lockdown, the compromise ends. Raise the humidity for each species to its own lockdown figure if your cabinet can hold two targets. If it cannot, the species with the tighter tolerance wins, and the other one is hatched in a second machine. Our guide to humidity problems covers the salt test and the wet-bulb check you need before you trust any reading.
Turning, candling and records when two clocks run in one cabinet
Two species in one machine means two sets of cards, two candling days and two turning stop days. The easiest way to lose track is to treat the cabinet as one set. Do not. Each tray gets its own card with the species, the set day, the lockdown day and the expected hatch day. Keep the cards on the cabinet door, in the order the trays are set.
- Write the species, set date, lockdown date and hatch date on each tray card.
- Use a different marker colour for each species on the eggs, so you can see at a glance which tray is which.
- Candle each species on its own day, with its own notes, and never on the same sheet of paper.
- Stop the turning for each tray on its own lockdown day. If the turner moves the whole cabinet, lift the tray that is finished out by hand and leave the other one turning.
- Record the hatch time, number of chicks or keets or poults, and any dead-in-shell eggs for each species separately.
Separate records are the only way to know which species hatched well in a shared cabinet. A combined number hides a weak tray behind a strong one. Our guide to egg turning explains why the turner matters more than most people think, and it applies to each species on its own clock.
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Separate machines, dividers or one species at a time: the options compared
There are three practical routes. Each has a cost, and each suits a different farm. Choose the one that matches your stock and your patience, not the one that saves the most floor space.
| Route | What it costs you | Main risk | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Separate machines, one per species | Floor space, power and a second machine to keep clean | A cabinet fault affects only one species, but you need two of everything | Farms that run regular sets of two or more species |
| Dividers in one cabinet | Some loss of capacity, careful placement of trays | Air still moves freely, so humidity and temperature are shared | Species with close humidity needs, such as chicken and guinea fowl |
| One species at a time | Time, and a full clean between species | Gaps in your sales calendar if one species is slow | Small farms and first-time setters |
Dividers are the tempting option, and they work for pairs that want similar air. They do not work for quail and duck, because the humidity gap is too wide and the trays affect each other through the shared air. Dividers also hide problems. A divider does not stop a humidity drop from reaching every tray.
For most small Ghana farms the honest answer is one species at a time, with a clean machine between each set. It is slower, but the records are clean, and a failed set teaches you something useful about that species alone. Our guide to staggered setting shows how to plan a line of single-species sets across the year.
Brooding a mixed hatch: keets, chicks and poults are not the same
A mixed hatch that comes out of the machine on the same morning still needs separate brooding. Chicks, keets and poults do not start life on the same feed, the same heat or the same water routine. Put each species in its own box, with its own feed and its own label, and never tip one species into another species' tray because the box looks convenient.
Guinea fowl keets are a good example of why. They are more fragile than chicks in the first days, and they need dry bedding, steady warmth and close watching for the first week. A keet tray that shares space with a crowd of chicks is harder to read, and the keets are the ones that get lost. Our guinea fowl keets page sets out what we supply, and the turkey poults page covers the poult side.
Feed is the second separation. A keet ration, a chick starter and a poult ration differ in protein and in texture, and feeding one species from another's bag is a common way to make a hatch look worse than it is. Read the feed bag before you pour, and if you are unsure which feed suits a given species, our feed formulation basics explains what each ration is for.
If you are planning to restock after a mixed hatch, our broiler chicks page and layer chicks page show what we supply on the poultry side, and the order form is there for when you know the numbers.
Species pairs that work, and pairs that do not
Not every pair is a poor match. A rough guide, based on the humidity gap and the day-count gap, is below. Use it to start the conversation, then check the species guides before you commit eggs.
- Chicken and guinea fowl: a workable pair. The humidity needs are close, and the offset trick lines up lockdown with about a six-day shift.
- Chicken and quail: possible with an offset, but the quail clock is short and the trays need careful timing. Many farms prefer separate machines.
- Chicken and turkey: possible in principle, but the eggs and the poults differ in size and the lockdown timing needs care. Separate machines are the safer choice for most farms.
- Duck and goose: a poor pair for one cabinet. The day counts are close, but the humidity needs are not, and the goose eggs are large and heavy in the tray.
- Quail and duck: a poor pair. The day gap is about ten days and the humidity gap is wide. Do not share a cabinet.
A simple test is to ask whether the humidity gap is under about 10 points and the lockdown gap can be closed by setting dates. If both answers are yes, a shared cabinet can work for a season. If either is no, use a second machine.
Mistakes we see when farms mix species
These are the errors that come up most often when a farm tries a mixed set for the first time. Most are fixable on the card, if you catch them early.
- Setting the species on the same day and assuming they will hatch on the same day.
- Running the cabinet at one humidity for two species without writing down the compromise.
- Stopping the turner for the whole cabinet on the first lockdown, leaving the other species still needing to turn.
- Candling both species on one morning with one torch and one sheet of paper.
- Putting chicks and keets into the same brooder box because the lids were open.
- Feeding one species from another species' bag, because the bag was closer.
- Combining the hatch figures so one weak tray hides behind a strong one.
- Skipping the clean between species, so shell fragments and dust carry into the next set.
Every one of these mistakes can be prevented with a card and a clean cabinet. None of them needs a bigger budget.
A checklist before you mix anything
Run this list before the first egg goes in. If you cannot tick a line, the set is not ready, and the honest choice is to use a second machine or wait for the next set.
- Day counts written for each species, with the lockdown day for each.
- Humidity compromise decided in writing, and a gap of 10 points or less between species.
- Set dates offset so that lockdown lands on the same calendar day, if you are using the offset trick.
- One card per species on the cabinet door, with set, lockdown and hatch dates.
- Separate marker colours or labels on the eggs and the trays.
- Separate candling sessions and separate candling notes for each species.
- Brooder boxes and feed bags ready for each species before the first hatch.
- Machine cleaned and dried between each species, with the shell fragments removed.
If you would rather hand the setting to a hatchery that already runs several species on their own timings, our egg hatching service and fertile eggs page explain what we can offer. For questions about your own mixed plan, message us on WhatsApp at +233 24 915 1503, or ask on the frequently asked questions page first.
Questions farmers ask
Can I put chicken and guinea fowl eggs in the same incubator?
Yes, it is one of the more workable pairs, because their humidity needs are close. The catch is the clock. Guinea fowl need 26 to 28 days and chicken need 21, so set the guinea eggs first and set the chicken eggs about six days later so that lockdown lands on the same calendar day. Keep separate cards, candling notes and brooder boxes.
Can I mix quail and chicken eggs in one machine?
It can be done with a careful offset, but many farms prefer separate machines. Quail hatch in 17 to 18 days and lock down around day 14, while chicken lock down around day 18. The humidity needs are also different enough that a shared setter makes both species less certain.
Can I mix duck and goose eggs?
It is a poor pair for one cabinet. The day counts are close, but duck eggs want a wetter setter than goose eggs, and the goose eggs are big and heavy in the tray. Use separate machines, or run one species at a time.
What humidity should I use for a mixed set?
Pick a compromise near the middle of the two ranges, write it on the cards, and keep the gap to about 10 points or less. Weigh a sample of each species on day 0 and day 14, and judge each species by its own weight loss, not by the cabinet reading alone.
Can chicks and keets from one mixed hatch share a brooder?
It is better not to. Keets are more fragile in the first days and need dry bedding and steady warmth. Chicks and keets also eat different feeds, so separate boxes with their own feed and labels keep the start simple and make losses easier to read.
Do I need a second machine for turkeys and chickens?
For most small farms, yes. Turkeys take about 28 days and chickens take 21, and turkey eggs are much heavier. A second machine is the simplest way to keep the lockdown and hatch timings clean and to avoid one species driving the cabinet for the other.
Where can I learn more about setting one species at a time?
Start with our guides on incubating duck eggs and incubating quail eggs, which cover the settings for each species on its own. Once you can run one species well, a mixed set becomes a planning exercise rather than a gamble.
