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After weeks of carefully monitoring temperature and humidity, we’ve officially reached one of the most exciting stages of incubating duck eggs — pipping day. This morning we started hearing tiny chirps coming from inside the incubator, and it instantly made the whole house excited.
According to our duck egg incubation countdown, these little ducklings should start breaking out of their shells any day now. We’re incubating both Runner duck eggs and Rouen duck eggs this hatch, and we can hardly wait to see all the fluffy ducklings once they finally emerge.
Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything sweeter on a homestead than hearing little peeps coming from eggs!
Our Experience Incubating Duck Eggs
Every time we hatch duck eggs it feels just as exciting as the first time. There’s so much anticipation during the final days of incubation. We’ve spent the past few weeks carefully turning eggs, checking humidity levels, candling eggs, and probably staring through the incubator window far more than necessary.
Now we’re finally at lockdown, which means no more turning the eggs and raising the humidity to help the ducklings hatch safely.
If you’re learning how to incubate duck eggs, the final few days can feel the longest. Once duck eggs pip, it can still take quite a while before the ducklings fully hatch. Patience is definitely the hardest part.
Incubating Runner Duck Eggs and Rouen Duck Eggs
This hatch includes two of our favorite duck breeds for homesteading.
Runner Ducks
Runner ducks are some of the funniest birds on our homestead. They stand upright and run everywhere instead of waddling like typical ducks. Their personalities alone make them worth raising, but they’re also excellent egg layers.
We’re especially excited to see the Runner ducklings hatch because they’re always full of energy right from the start.
Rouen Ducks
Rouen ducks are absolutely beautiful with coloring similar to mallards. They’re larger, calmer ducks and make a great addition to a backyard flock or homestead.
The combination of Runner duck eggs and Rouen duck eggs in the incubator means we should end up with a fun mix of ducklings once hatch day arrives.
Duck Egg Incubation Tips
If you’re incubating duck eggs for the first time, here are a few things that have helped us during the incubation process:
- Keep incubator temperature consistent
- Monitor humidity carefully
- Turn eggs regularly before lockdown
- Candle eggs throughout incubation
- Increase humidity during hatch week
- Avoid opening the incubator too often once eggs begin pipping
The waiting during hatch week can feel endless, but letting ducklings hatch naturally is usually best unless there’s an actual emergency.
Our Favorite Incubator for Hatching Duck Eggs
Having a reliable incubator makes such a difference when hatching duck eggs at home.
We’ve used this incubator for multiple hatches on our homestead, and it’s been incredibly helpful for monitoring temperature and humidity during the incubation process.
Preparing The Brooder for Ducklings
While we wait for these ducklings to hatch, we already have the brooder setup ready with:
- Fresh bedding
- Heat source
- Feeders and waterers
- Duckling starter feed
There’s something really exciting about raising ducks from the very beginning, from collecting fertile duck eggs all the way to watching fluffy ducklings explore the brooder for the first time. It’s also a fun way to get the whole family involved!
Hatch Day on the Homestead
Right now our incubator is filled with tiny chirps, little cracks in eggshells, and so much anticipation. If all goes well, we should have fluffy Runner and Rouen ducklings hatching very soon.
Until then, you’ll probably find us gathered around the incubator checking for new pips every chance we get.
From our homestead to yours,
Eliza