How to Look After a Duck Egg

If you encounter a duck egg in your backyard or the park and you decide to look after it, it's important to know the procedure for doing so. It's crucial that the temperature and environment stay consistent and to follow instructions very carefully because like any newborn, a lot of things can go wrong. These steps will help you look after a duck egg.

Things You'll Need

Incubator

Instructions

- 1
  Look for the mother. Before you plan to look after a duck egg, you should look for its mother. Don't go near the egg if you can see other ducks nearby. If the other ducks see you near their egg -- or more accurately, smell you -- they will stop caring for the egg. If you are certain the egg has been abandoned, you can begin to look after the duck egg in your home.
- 2
  Keep the egg warm. The first and most important thing when looking after a duck egg is to keep the duck egg warm. You will probably need to purchase an incubator. From a variety of experts and opinions, you should keep your egg at 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit during the first 25 days of having your egg. This part can be tricky if you found the egg part way through the 25 days. Shine a flashlight to see if you can tell about how mature the duck embryo is. It's really not crucial that you know the exact age of the egg, but it might help you know if you're about to approach the last two days of the egg cycle.
- 3
  Rotate the egg. When you look after a duck egg, it's also important to turn the duck egg over several times a day. Since everything has to be very carefully done, you should turn the egg over an odd number of times per day, ensuring that it doesn't spend too long in the same position.
- 4
  Prepare for the last two days of incubation. During the final days of the incubation period -- days 26 through 28 -- the duck egg should be a little cooler, about 98.5 degrees. This will send signals to the young duckling that it's time to hatch. You should also stop turning the egg during these days.