How Many Days Is Pheasant and Partridge Incubation? Temperature, Humidity and Poult Care

Pheasant and partridge are the two most commonly incubated game birds — for release into hunting grounds as well as for ornamental and production purposes. But these species are not as forgiving as chickens: their eggs are more delicate, their chicks more skittish and their nutritional needs higher. This guide explains pheasant and partridge incubation duration, temperature and humidity settings, the hatch period and poult care, step by step.

How Many Days Is Pheasant and Partridge Incubation?

Both species hatch in about 24 days (normal range days 23-25). That's a little above the chicken (21 days) and below turkey and duck (28 days). For red-legged partridge and pheasant the duration is practically the same, so this guide covers both together.

Parameter	Value
Incubation period	24 days (23-25)
Temperature (forced-air)	37.4-37.6 °C
Humidity (phase 1)	50-55%
Lockdown day	Day 21
Hatch humidity	65-70%
Turning	5× a day (odd number)
Candling	Days 7, 14 and 21

For a per-species summary see our pheasant and partridge species pages.

Temperature and Humidity

In a forced-air machine keep the temperature steady at 37.4-37.6 °C. Game bird eggs are more sensitive to temperature swings than chicken eggs; verify the display with a separate, calibrated thermometer. Target 50-55% relative humidity for the first 21 days. Rather than chasing a single number, tracking the air cell's growth is more reliable — details in our incubation humidity guide.

Turning and Candling

Turn the eggs 5 times a day (an odd number) so the embryo doesn't stick to the shell; if you have no automatic turner, mark them with a pencil and turn by hand. Candle on days 7, 14 and 21. Because pheasant and some partridge eggs can have dark, speckled shells, candling is harder than with chickens; use a strong LED light and a dark room, and cull infertile eggs and dead embryos at these checks. What to look for is covered day by day in our candling guide.

Lockdown and Hatch

On day 21 stop turning (lockdown), raise the humidity to 65-70% and keep the machine closed as much as possible. Hatch is expected on days 23-25. A long wait after the pip is normal; don't intervene early — how the hatch progresses and when to assist is in our hatch day guide.

Poult Care: The Most Critical Stage

Game bird poults are far more skittish and active than chicken chicks; the hardest part of incubation is after the hatch:

• High protein: Pheasant and partridge poults need a special game bird/turkey starter with 28-30% protein. Standard chicken chick feed is inadequate for these species.
• A covered pen: Poults can jump and fly even at a day old. Cover the top of the brooder with wire or netting, or they escape.
• Calm: These skittish species panic at sudden sound and movement and hit the walls. Set the pen up somewhere quiet, dim and low-traffic.
• Heat and water: 35 °C the first week, dropping ~3 °C each week; use a shallow, pebble-filled drinker to prevent drowning. The general setup is like our brooder guide, the difference being the protein-rich feed and the covered, calm environment.

The Most Common Mistakes

• Feeding chicken chick starter (too little protein; poults develop poorly).
• Leaving the brooder top open (poults escape).
• Setting the pen up somewhere noisy and busy (panic and injury).
• Candling dark-shelled eggs with a weak light and culling wrongly.
• Chasing humidity as a single number and never checking the air cell.

To track your pheasant or partridge incubation day by day, use the KuluçkaTakip app: pick the species, enter the start date, and let it calculate and remind you of turning, candling, lockdown and hatch days.