How to Hatch Duck Eggs

Hatching duck eggs can be a wonderful and rewarding experience. Although this task is a relatively simple one, care must be taken throughout the process to ensure a safe transition from egg to incubator.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Duck egg incubator
• Duck eggs
• Incubator thermometer

1. Obtain duck eggs that have been fertilized.
2. Ensure that a proper incubator has been purchased or built. Incubators can simply be any enclosed box or area that can retain heat and has easy access to the eggs.
3. Make sure the temperature of the enclosure or incubator stays at approximately 99 to 99.5 degrees F for the first 25 days. Reduce the temperature to 98.5 degrees F on day 25 and allow incubating for an additional 3 days.
4. Control the humidity of the incubating duck eggs for the first 25 days to 86 percent. Adjust the humidity to 94 percent for the remaining 3 days.
5. Turn the duck eggs an odd number of times per day throughout the first 25 days. Three, five, and seven times are a common process. This allows the hatching duck eggs to "rest" in differing positions. Stop turning the duck eggs over the last 3 days.
6. Consider candling (placing a small, very bright flashlight at the top of the duck egg and shining light through) the duck egg after 7 days to check on the fertilization process.

Tips & Warnings

• Place a small pencil mark on each egg when turned and place a subsequent mark at each odd revolution to identify what eggs need turning.
• Allow the duckling to hatch on its own. Only interfere to assist should the duckling become trapped in the eggshell hole or hasn't made progress for 12 hours.
• Build a small brooder box for the duckling to rest in after hatching. A small box with a lightbulb that the duckling can't touch will provide the needed heat for development. Bath towels make great bedding.
• Create a watering system from a milk jug with a hole just big enough for the duckling to put his head through in the side of the carton. Fill with water to the hole's level.
• Ducklings must be kept warm after hatching.
• Never let ducklings play in water unattended, since their oil glands have not developed enough to keep them from drowning.