Hatching Duck Eggs at Home

Hatching ducklings at home can be one of the most rewarding processes for any animal lover or family. You and your children can learn about the cycle of life as your bring fertilized eggs into your home to incubate them and watch them hatche. As with any developing life form, it is important to handle the eggs carefully and allow them to develop naturally with little human intervention.

Things You'll Need

  • Fertilized eggs
  • Incubator
  • Hatcher
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Instructions

    • 1

      Start the incubator one or two days before placing the duck eggs inside the unit to allow it to stabilize. Set the temperature to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill the incubator's water storage well. The relative humidity should be 55 percent.

    • 2

      Select eggs that have already been fertilized and inspect each one for imperfections before attempting to hatch them. Do not use eggs that have cracks, double yolks or abnormal shapes.

    • 3

      Place the duck eggs in the incubator within three days after they have been laid. Set the eggs with the small, pointed side down, unless you are using a small incubator that does not have trays. Once you set the eggs, close the doors of the incubator and allow it to reach full operating temperature. Check frequently in the first four days after placing the eggs to make sure the incubator is working properly.

    • 4

      Turn each egg 180 degrees every eight hours to prevent the embryo from sticking to the eggshell walls. If an embryo sticks to the eggshell, it can be fatal.

    • 5

      Shine a flashlight beneath each egg in a dark room on the seventh day and remove eggs that are clear or cloudy. These eggs will not produce ducklings and should be removed. A healthy egg should contain distinct blood veins. An embryo that has died will show a ring or streak of blood through the egg. If you are uncertain about whether an embryo is alive or not, return it to the incubator and continue to turn the eggs approximately every eight hours.

    • 6

      Set the hatcher temperature to 99 F and the relative humidity to 65 percent on day 23.

    • 7

      Transfer the eggs to hatching trays on the 25th day after setting. Shine a flashlight beneath each egg and remove eggs that contain dead embryos. It is not necessary to turn eggs in the hatcher.

    • 8

      Increase the humidity in the hatcher to 80 percent as the eggs begin to hatch and increase ventilation by 50 percent.

    • 9

      Decrease the temperature to 97 F and humidity to 70 percent once the hatch is near completion. Open ventilation to maximum settings.

    • 10

      Remove the ducklings from the hatcher when 95 percent of the ducklings are dry.