How to Raise Duck Eggs

Less commonly raised than chickens, domestic ducks are useful as pets and as agricultural products. According to Melvin L. Hamre of the University of Minnesota's Department of Animal Science, around 22 million ducks are raised every year in the United States (See References 1). More resistant to common avian diseases than chickens, ducks can be raised for food, eggs, or even kept as pets that control insect populations. W. Stanley Coates and Ralph A. Ernst list a number of commonly raised duck breeds in their article "Raising Ducks in Small Flocks" (See References 2). Among them are the common Mallard, the Muscovy, the Pekin, the Mandarin, and the Indian Runner. Whichever breed you select, the process for raising the duck eggs is similar.

Things You'll Need

Quiet room equipped with thermostat
Humidifier
Incubator
Nest, 12 inches long, 14 inches wide, 12 inches high
Clean rice hull bedding
Sandpaper to clean eggs
Warm water

Instructions

- 1
  Select a quiet, secluded area (equipped with a thermostat) to serve as the incubation room.
- 2
  Set the thermostat to a temperature between 50 and 75 degrees F. Duck eggs are sensitive to temperature fluctuations.
- 3
  Adjust the humidifier to keep the atmospheric humidity at about 75 percent. If the air is too dry the eggs will not incubate properly.
- 4
  Turn on the incubator, and make sure that the temperature underneath the incubator is close to 100 degrees F.
- 5
  Place the 12- inches-long, 14-inches-wide and 12-inches-high nest under the incubator to house the duck eggs.
- 6
  Fill the nest with the clean rice hulls to cushion the eggs.
- 7
  Gently scrub clean each duck egg with sandpaper to smooth out the surface.
- 8
  
  Eggs need to be placed horizontally
  
  Place the duck eggs horizontally in the nest.
- 9
  Each day, sprinkle warm water onto the eggs. This will keep them from getting too dry.
- 10
  Turn the eggs 180 degrees on the long axis an odd number of times at least three times a day until the eggs hatch.