Chook Me!

Can I hatch a chicken egg and a duck egg in the same incubator?

I'm doing a school project and I want to hatch two different kinds of eggs but I want to know if I need special kinds of incubators to do so??

Public Comments

1. Yes you can because they are often raised by each other so they need similar conditions to survive. As long as you know how to take care of them while they are in the incubator and when hatched they should be fine.
2. You can, but you can't put the eggs in the incubator at the same time. Duck egg incubation time is usually about 28 days. Chicken egg incubation time is 21 days. So, you will need to put the duck egg in first, and monitor it carefully for heat, humidity, and turning times. Then, after 7 days, add the chicken egg. Continue to monitor the incubator carefully for heat, humidity, and turning times. Hatching eggs in an incubator is great fun, and can be very educational for children. When you get close to the hatch date, make sure that you have a brooder set up for the chicks with food, water, paper, and a heat lamp so that they will have somewhere to go once they are all completely dry. Good luck and have fun! Here's a great website that explains how to do it all: http://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-hatch.html
3. You can, but put the duck eggs in first because they needs longer. Ducks also need more humidity, but if you can just put the duck eggs in a wetter area of the incubator it should do. If I were you I'd have three or four of each - not just because it's more of an equal experiment, but raising one chick and one duck is not wise. Also, do all the research you can. You are playing with life here! If you make a mistake and end up killing them you'll feel awful (trust me). And, particularly study candling, it'll be fantastic for your project and it's so interesting to see them develop.