Duck egg incubation depends on the breed: count 28 days for Pekin ducks and 35 days for Muscovy ducks. In both cases the temperature stays at 37.5 °C, but waterfowl need a few extra steps.
Incubation length by breed
Pekin and most common ducks hatch in 28 days. The Muscovy, closer to a separate species, needs 35 days. Set your incubator to 37.5 °C with humidity of 45 to 55 % throughout the incubation phase.
Pekin duck day-by-day calendar
Set eggs on day 1 at 37.5 °C. First candling around day 10 to check fertility and remove clear eggs. From mid-incubation, around day 14, add a daily cooling period and a warm water misting. Lockdown on day 25: stop turning and raise humidity to 65 to 75 %. Hatch expected on day 28.
Muscovy duck day-by-day calendar
The Muscovy follows the same rhythm stretched over 35 days. First candling around day 14. Daily cooling and misting from the second week onward. Lockdown on days 31 to 32, humidity 65 to 75 %. Hatch around day 35.
Cooling and misting for waterfowl
Duck eggs, larger and oilier than chicken eggs, benefit from a daily cooling of about 10 to 15 minutes from mid-incubation. Spray a little warm water on the eggs before closing the lid again. This routine mimics the duck returning to the nest with damp feathers.
Turning and mistakes to avoid
Turn the eggs at least 2 times a day, ideally 3, until lockdown. The most common mistakes are humidity that is too low near the end and turning that is stopped too late.
Key points
- Pekin duck: 28 days, candling on day 10, lockdown on day 25.
- Muscovy duck: 35 days, candling on day 14, lockdown on days 31 to 32.
- Temperature 37.5 °C, humidity 45 to 55 % then 65 to 75 % at lockdown.
- Daily cooling and misting from mid-incubation.