What temperature do I incubate duck eggs at?

**99.5–100°F** in a forced-air incubator, or **102–103°F** measured at the top of the eggs in a still-air incubator. Some hatchers drop the hatcher to about 99°F for the final days.

What day is lockdown for duck eggs?

**Day 25.** Stop turning, stop cooling and misting, raise humidity to 65–80%, open the vent a little more, and keep the incubator closed until the ducklings hatch around day 28.

How long do duck eggs take to hatch?

About **28 days** for most domestic breeds like Pekin and Rouen. Mallards can hatch a touch sooner (~26.5–27 days) and Runners a touch later (~28.5 days). Muscovy ducks are a different species and take about 35 days.

What humidity do I need for hatching duck eggs?

Around **55–60%** for the first 25 days, then **65–80%** from lockdown through hatch — higher than for chickens because the large, oily duck shell resists moisture loss. Track the air cell and aim for about 13% egg-weight loss by day 25.

Do I need to cool and mist duck eggs?

It helps. From about **day 10**, cool the eggs daily until the shell surface reaches about **86°F** and mist them with room-temperature water, then close up. This opens the shell membrane so the egg loses enough moisture. Stop cooling and misting at lockdown on day 25.

How often should I turn duck eggs?

At least **4 times a day** (an odd number if turning by hand) through day 25, or use an autoturner. Turning matters most in the first week. Stop turning at lockdown.

How to Incubate Duck Eggs

Verified September 2026

The short version

Most domestic (mallard-derived) duck eggs — Pekin, Rouen, Runner, Khaki Campbell — hatch in about 28 days (Mallards a touch sooner, Runners a touch later). Incubate at 99.5–100°F in a forced-air incubator (102–103°F still-air at the top of the egg), hold humidity around 55–60%, then stop turning and raise humidity to 65–80% at lockdown on day 25. Unlike chicken eggs, duck eggs benefit from daily cooling and misting from about day 10 to shed moisture. Candle around day 7 and again at transfer.

Incubation temp (forced-air)	99.5–100°F (37.5–37.8°C)
Still-air temp (top of egg)	102–103°F (38.9–39.4°C)
Humidity (days 1–lockdown)	55–60%
Humidity (lockdown–hatch)	65–80%
Total incubation	26–28 days
Lockdown day	Day 25
Candle around	day 7, day 14, day 25

Day-by-day schedule

Day	Phase	What to do	Temp	Humidity
Days 1–7	Incubation	Set eggs and turn at least 4 times a day (an odd number of manual turns so they rest on alternate sides overnight), or use an autoturner — turning matters most in the first week. Candle around day 7 to confirm a web of veins and a beating heart.	99.5–100°F	55–60%
Days 8–14	Incubation	Keep turning and hold temperature steady. From about day 10, begin daily cooling and misting: open the incubator for 5–30 minutes until the shell surface reaches about 86°F, mist with room-temperature water, then close up. This helps the larger, greasier waterfowl egg lose the right amount of moisture. Candle around day 14 to remove clears and quitters.	99.5–100°F	55–60%
Days 15–24	Incubation	Continue turning and the daily cool-and-mist routine. The target is a total egg-weight loss of roughly 13% by day 25, shown as a properly drawn-down air cell — candle to track it. Top up water so humidity stays in range.	99.5–100°F	55–60%
Day 25	Lockdown	Stop turning and stop cooling/misting. Move eggs to the hatcher (or lay flat), raise humidity to 65–80%, and open the vent more for the extra oxygen a hatching duckling needs. Candle once more and pull dead embryos. Keep the incubator closed from here — opening it can shrink-wrap ducklings.	99–99.5°F	65–80%
Days 26–27	Hatch	Ducklings internally pip into the air cell, then externally pip the shell. Expect peeping and small cracks. Waterfowl are slow — a duckling can rest 12–24 hours between pipping and zipping. Resist opening the lid.	99°F	70–80%
Day 28	Hatch	Most ducklings zip and hatch around day 28. Leave them in the hatcher to dry and fluff for several hours before moving to a brooder. Stragglers can arrive on day 29–30, especially from cooler incubators or Runner eggs.	97–99°F	70–80%

Temperature: forced-air vs still-air

In a forced-air incubator (one with a fan) the whole cabinet sits at one temperature. Cornell's Duck Research Laboratory sets 99.5°F; Mississippi State Extension specifies 100°F through incubation. Either is within the safe band. Cornell then eases the hatcher down slightly — about 99°F at transfer — as the ducklings' own metabolic heat rises.

A still-air incubator has no fan, so warm air layers near the top. Mississippi State Extension says to add 2–3°F to the forced-air figure and measure at the top of the eggs, which puts a still-air unit around 102–103°F at egg-top. A still-air incubator reading 99.5°F at egg height is actually running cold.

Humidity, cooling, and misting — the waterfowl difference

Duck eggs are large and coated in a natural oil that slows moisture loss, so waterfowl hatchers run humidity a little higher than for chickens — about 55–60% during incubation (roughly 84.5–86°F on a wet-bulb thermometer per Cornell and Mississippi State) and 65–80% at hatch. But high humidity alone can leave too much water in the egg.

The fix is daily cooling and misting from about day 10. Metzer Farms recommends opening the incubator until the shell surface cools to about 86°F, misting the eggs with room-temperature water, and letting them warm back up. This briefly opens the shell membrane so the egg sheds moisture, targeting about a 13% loss of egg weight by day 25. Stop cooling and misting at lockdown.

How long, and when is lockdown

Common domestic breeds descend from the mallard and hatch in about 28 days: Pekin and most breeds around 28, Mallards a little sooner (~26.5–27 days), and Runners a little later (~28.5 days), per Metzer Farms. (Muscovy ducks are a separate species and take ~35 days — they are not covered here.)

Both Cornell and Mississippi State stop turning and transfer eggs to the hatcher at day 25 — this is duck 'lockdown.' Candle at about day 7 to confirm fertility and again at transfer to pull dead embryos. Many hatchers add a day-14 candling to check progress midway.

Calculate your hatch dates

Enter the date you set your duck eggs to get your candling, lockdown, and hatch dates — with a calendar download.

SpeciesDate eggs set

Pick a species and the date you set the eggs to see your candling, lockdown, and hatch dates.

Dry-hatch vs standard humidity

Duck eggs are the opposite of a 'dry hatch' problem: the large, oil-coated waterfowl shell tends to hold too much moisture, so the challenge is getting enough water OUT, not keeping it in. That is why extension and hatchery guides run duck humidity a little higher than chickens yet still add daily cooling and misting.
Aim for a total egg-weight loss of about 13% from setting to day 25 (Metzer Farms). Candle and weigh a sample of eggs: if the air cell is too small (too little moisture lost), lower humidity and cool/mist longer; if it is too large, ease off.

Shipped eggs

Let shipped eggs rest large-end up for 8–24 hours before setting so scrambled air cells can re-settle.
Duck eggs are heavier and their contents slosh more in transit, so shipped-egg hatch rates are often disappointing — set more than you need.
If air cells are wobbly or detached, incubate upright in an egg carton for the first week and hand-turn gently before starting the cool-and-mist routine.

Common pitfalls

Skipping the cooling and misting step — the biggest difference from hatching chickens. Without it, the greasy, low-porosity duck shell can retain too much moisture and drown the duckling.
Running humidity by a fixed number instead of tracking the air cell and egg-weight loss (target ~13% by day 25).
Opening the incubator during lockdown, which drops humidity and can shrink-wrap a pipped duckling.
Giving up too early — ducklings pip and zip slowly, and Runner eggs in particular can run past day 28.
Turning or cooling past day 25, which interferes with the duckling positioning to pip the air cell.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature do I incubate duck eggs at?: 99.5–100°F in a forced-air incubator, or 102–103°F measured at the top of the eggs in a still-air incubator. Some hatchers drop the hatcher to about 99°F for the final days.
What day is lockdown for duck eggs?: Day 25. Stop turning, stop cooling and misting, raise humidity to 65–80%, open the vent a little more, and keep the incubator closed until the ducklings hatch around day 28.
How long do duck eggs take to hatch?: About 28 days for most domestic breeds like Pekin and Rouen. Mallards can hatch a touch sooner (~26.5–27 days) and Runners a touch later (~28.5 days). Muscovy ducks are a different species and take about 35 days.
What humidity do I need for hatching duck eggs?: Around 55–60% for the first 25 days, then 65–80% from lockdown through hatch — higher than for chickens because the large, oily duck shell resists moisture loss. Track the air cell and aim for about 13% egg-weight loss by day 25.
Do I need to cool and mist duck eggs?: It helps. From about day 10, cool the eggs daily until the shell surface reaches about 86°F and mist them with room-temperature water, then close up. This opens the shell membrane so the egg loses enough moisture. Stop cooling and misting at lockdown on day 25.
How often should I turn duck eggs?: At least 4 times a day (an odd number if turning by hand) through day 25, or use an autoturner. Turning matters most in the first week. Stop turning at lockdown.

Sources

Hatching Duck Eggs — Cornell University Duck Research Laboratory (University extension)
Important incubation factors (duck row of the incubation table) — Mississippi State University Extension Service (University extension)
Incubating and Hatching Duck Eggs (cooling, misting & breed hatch times) — Metzer Farms (Hatchery)