Photos of my home made incubator....

Photos of my home made duck egg incubator--->>>
http://www.thespaceexplorers.bravehost.com/ducks/

Not gospel, but this is what I have learned so far!

Incubation:

Egg Placement: The eggs are initially set in the incubator with the
large end up or horizontally with the large end slightly elevated.
This enables the embryo to remain oriented in a proper position for
hatching. Never set eggs with the small end upward. Try to set the
eggs so that the large end of the egg with the air sac is higher than
the small end. When you place an egg in the incubator, you must lay
the egg with the large end tilted slightly up. The little chick's head
is located in the large end of the egg, and if you stand it on its
head it will not live.

Turning: 4x per/day. Turning the eggs allows free movement of the
embryo and prevents the egg's contents from sticking to the shell.
Or, Eggs set on their sides must be rotated 1/2 turn at least 3 times
daily. Eggs set with the air cell end up should be tilted in the
opposite direction 3 times daily. This keeps the embryo centered in
the egg and prevents it from sticking to the shell membrane. If hand
turning, to insure proper turning, mark each side of the egg with a
pencil. Put an "x" on one side and an "o" on the opposite side. NOTE!
Near the end of incubation, don't turn duck eggs after beak starts
sticking into the air sack!! (see below on "pipping")

Days: 28+ If your eggs are old or the incubator is cool, incubation
can take longer. If it is too warm, incubation will be completed
sooner.

Temp: 99-101F (39.5C = 103F) Still air incubators are smaller and air
flow is harder to manage. Set still-air incubators at 100 to 101°F at
egg height. This is important since the air stratifies in these
incubators. There can be as much as a 5° difference in temperature
from the top to the bottom of some of the still-air incubators.
Mortality is seen if the temperature drops below 96°F or rises above
103°F for a number of hours. Caution - About half way through
incubation process, you will note an increase in temperature, and you
will have to adjust thermostat down nearly one full turn. This is
normal and is caused by the embryos forming into chicks and generating
heat. Check temperature daily.

Humidity: 60%+ then 75%+ at end. Misting can sometimes be of
benefit. If you do it, start at day 7 and do not spray after day 25.
Too little moisture results in excessive evaporation, causing chicks
to stick to the shell, remain in the pipped shells, and sometimes
hatch crippled. Duck eggs need 28 days to incubate and must be
sprinkled with water twice a day for the last 14 days.

Candling: Eggs can be candled after about seven days of incubation.
If the eggs are over 10 days old and clear, they are most likely
unfertile. You should look for veins going from the interior of the
egg to the air sac (large end). As the duckling develops inside the
egg there is a loss of water from the egg and an increase in the size
of the air cell. If the duckling is developing normally, the air cell
should occupy about one-third of the space inside the egg at 25 days
of incubation (common ducks).

Cleanliness: All of our eggs are washed immediately after collection
to reduce the bacterial load on the shell surface. Use warm water,
not cool. We use a quaternary ammonia compound that has a residual
bacteriastat. It is important to keep your incubator clean and wash it
out after each group of egg hatches. You want each set of eggs to be
in a clean, disinfected environment as the temperature and humidity in
an incubator are ideal for the growth of bacteria.
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The Hatching Process

There is a huge debate surrounding whether to help ducklings hatch or
not. I, like many, think that for small time duck keepers, like me,
who wish to hatch a few ducks for pets and don't intend to breed from
them, helping them hatch IS OK if the ducklings appear to be
struggling to free themselves from their shells. NOTE: Let the duck
climb himself out of the shell so he can absorb all the natural yoke.
Once you get a pecked (the shells open) egg it can take 24 hrs or more
before they hatch.

The most important thing to remember is not to interfere any more than
absolutely necessary with the hatch.

The first stage of the hatch itself is when the duckling pushes its
beak through the membrane into the air sac at one end of the egg (a
process called internal pipping). At this point you can hear the
ducklings tapping on the shells and cheeping.

The next stage (up to two days later) is the external pip when they
make the first tiny crack in the shell. It just looks like a little
bump but gives them the air they need to continue.

Finally (again, up to one or two days later) the duckling pushes its
beak through the shell breaking it and then wriggling round to break
the next section until the end of the egg opens enough for it to be
free!

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Caring for Your Ducklings After They Hatch

Keep them warm and to feed them as follows...

Small ducks need warmth (they can't supply it themselves). You need to
buy or make a "brooder" for their warmth and protection.

To make one yourself, get a big box and hang a light bulb in there
that is close enough to give off some heat but not so close that the
little guy can get burnt. Don't let him touch it. The box should be
big enough so that the little guys can move closer to the heat when he
is warm and move away from the heat when he is too hot. He'll find his
own comfort level. The best "bedding" is an old bath towel. Don't use
hay or straw. It just sticks to them and is harder to clean. Don't use
newspaper either as they tend to be unable to get their footing and
sometimes this causes "splayed legs" (Good footing when they are small
helps their legs to develop more properly).

You must devise a way for them to drink water without diving into
their drinking water. They can drown in that too. Fill a small jar lid
with fresh water, and add gravel or marbles to the water to keep the
chick from drowning. The best method I've ever seen is to cut a small
hole in the side of a plastic milk carton that is big enough for them
to put their head into but make the hole too small for them to jump
through it. Then fill it with water just up to that hole. You'll have
to change the water often as they will dirty it up daily (with food).
You may have to teach them how to find the water in the beginning by
pushing their heads in their a few times but once they figure it out,
they will go back and forth between their food and water constantly.
Once they start eating it seems like they never stop.

Use a paint tray for a tapered swimming pool.

Feed and water chicks at once. Regarding feed... go to a local feed
store and ask for "unmedicated chicken mash". Basically this is mashed
up chicken feed. It is important to ask for "unmedicated" brands as
ducklings eat a lot more than chicks and will poison themselves on the
medicated brands. They don't need the medication like chicks do. They
actually can be quite hardy once they begin growing up.

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