Setting up for a good hatch
Keep the incubator steady at the recommended temperature for your bird, usually around 99.5 F in a forced-air incubator, and follow the humidity guidance for each stage. Turn the eggs several times a day until lockdown so the developing embryo does not stick to the shell. Candling around the midpoint helps you spot eggs that are not developing.
Lockdown and hatch day
At lockdown, stop turning, increase humidity and resist the urge to open the incubator, since a drop in humidity can shrink-wrap a hatching chick. Hatching can take 24 hours or more from the first pip, so be patient. Use the hatch window as a guide and avoid helping a chick out unless you are confident it is needed.