Are there any special instructions for incubating duck and goose eggs?
Duck eggs in large, force-draft incubators, should be incubated at 991/4 – 99½°F and goose eggs at 99 – 99½°F. The wet bulb reading during the incubation period should be 86 – 88° and 92°F at hatching time. These high humidity requirements eliminate the possibility of satisfactory results if waterfowl eggs are set in a large incubator with chicken eggs. To increase humidity the eggs should be sprinkled with lukewarm water twice weekly up to the 25th day, then discontinued until the eggs start to pip. The addition of too much water during incubation will increase the number of eggs, which rot in the incubator. In small still-air incubators the temperature should be 100¼, 101½, 102½ and 103°F, respectively, for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of incubation. The eggs should be turned at least three times a day. Goose eggs should be turned through an angle of 180 degrees.
