What to do with a duck's egg I found in the Lake District?

Question

I found a lost egg while in the Lake District near a group of ducks so I'm guessing it was a duck's egg (also due to the strong shell). Thing is, I dunno what to do with it! I'm storing it in my boiler room at a warm temperature and waiting around 28 days for it to hatch.
If it hatches successfully, how do I take care of it?!

Answer 1

Wow... an interesting story :). As soon as it''s hatched you should take the little duckling to an animal shelter and get proffesional advice... they'll surely know what to do! Just make sure that you keep an eye at it just in case it hatches early! The poor thing might die of starvation so you'll have to take it somewhere quick!

But if you dont know of an animal shelter then take it to the vets so they can give it a check-over! Good luck!

Answer 2

If you have had the egg for more than a few days, chances are if you take the egg back to the place where you found it, the mother would not return for it and you are now responsible for the egg. The best way to hatch an egg without an incubator is to go to the pet store and get a lizard lite but one that is not too hot over 102 degrees is too hot. 100 is perfect and you want to make sure that the light is always at this temp. Also a white blanket or lightly coloured one would be best as to not attract heat, or you will have a cooked egg. You also need to turn the egg. If you are not turning the egg, the baby will not develope properly and could die or will have deformations. Also if the egg does hatch you need to let them do it on their own. Meaning do not help the duckling with its hatching. This is a strength developing time for the baby that was made by nature. Doing this could cause reprocussions later and the baby may die because they do not have the strength needed to survive in the big world. If you feel this is too large of a project you need to take the egg to fish and game where a pro will know how to take care of the egg. Good Luck!

Answer 3

You should have left it at the lake. I doubt it will hatch. There are a lot of things that need to happen in order for an egg to product a bird.
It could have gotten too cold before you got to it.
It could have been infertile.
It could have absorbed oil from your hands & essentially "sufficoated" the embreyo.
The eggs are turned & rotated by the mother duck. You can't simulate the same thing by leaving it in a boiler room.

You can hold it up & shine a flash light through the shell. Compare it to the eggs in your fridge. If it looks the same, there is nothing there. If it's darker, there could be an embryo. I seriously doubt that it will hatch. If it does, will it starve while you're at school/work?

There is a powdered hand feeding formula you can buy in the bird section of the pet store. IF the egg hatches, you will need to feed the chick immediately.That means being right there when it happens & having the food on hand. Hand raising is hard & only successful when experienced breeders take it on. You need heating pads, & tons of other things to make it work.



Next time you find something like this, leave it alone!!!

Answer 4

Since you mentioned the "28 day waiting period", I presume you have already researched into the hatching procedure.

Hatching duck eggs:
Much of the information available on incubating and hatching chicken eggs can be applied to ducks.

Eggs from common ducks like Pekins require 28 days to hatch.

Incubater temperature at 37.5°C (99.5°F) and relative humidity at 55% (84.5°F on wet bulb thermometer).

Eggs must be turned, either automatically or by hand, a minimum of 4 times a day.

At 25 days after setting (Pekin eggs), the eggs are transferred to hatching trays.

As the hatch nears completion gradually lower the temperature and humidity so that by the end of the hatch the temperature is at 36.1°C (97°F), and the humidity is at 70% (90°F wet bulb).
http://www.duckhealth.com/hatcduck.html

Questions and FAQ's about "Hatching Duck Eggs"
http://www.duckeggs.com/duck-egg-questions.html#afterhatch

Answer 5

At this time of year, it is extremely common for people to bring new borns animals to the vets thinking they are abandoned - and we beg them to return them immediately! Lone eggs or young are not always abandoned, parents do have to nip off at times - to eat for instance - and the fact that there was a group of ducks close by suggests this was another one that wasn't abandoned at all!

Please take the egg back - but if you're no longer in the Lake District, just keep it warm as you are - and get the new born to the RSCPA asap if it hatches! In fact it may be better to take the egg to the RSPCA now, they have incubators - the newborn may not survive a journey.

Chalice

Answer 6

i'm undecided approximately duck eggs particularly, yet in accordance to the e book I even have approximately chickens, you are able to candle them interior of an afternoon or 2 as a results of fact the embryo grows rather quickly. My e book additionally says that the eggs might desire to be grew to become daily interior the incubator. My chickens lay eggs and walk faraway from them; that's purely whilst they are "broody" that they are going to take a seat on the eggs with the intention to hatch them. If geese are something like chickens, that's not significant that the mummy duck walked away. How long she replace into away does count. My e book says the eggs can wait some days, unrefrigerated, to pass into the incubator yet no longer lots longer than that.

Answer 7

Well that was silly wasn't it. It probably wasn't abandoned and you probably stole it. You will be getting reported for this kidnap of small duckling. Chances of this hatching are about 100 to 1. Hold it up to a strong light and see if there's a chick in it or just a yolk. If just a yolk suggest you scramble it as the yolk's a bit large for fried egg.

Answer 8

You need to take the egg back to where you found it. It will not hatch in your boiler room. Chances are the ducks were not finish laying all of their eggs. They lay all of their eggs and then they sit to incubate.

Answer 9

You Should Have Just Left It Where It Was! Now It'll Probably Die! Take It To The Vets And Ask Their Advie Or Just Dispose Of It

Answer 10

If it was cold it will be dead. If warm and you kept it warm then it may hatch, but you need to turn it every day. The first thing it sees moving, if it hatches, it will think it the mother and follow it.