AboutJonathan Wright Expertise I can answer questions about wild mammals, as well as other wild animals. I can also answer questions on extinct animals and zoos.
I do not have expertise in animal medicine and care and cannot give advice on veterinary problems. Please contact a wildlife veterinarian or a wildlife charity or organisation if you find an injured wild animal. Please do not take wild animals out of the wild. This can be illegal and also very cruel, especially if you do not know how to look after the animal.
I do not agree with fights between different animals. Please do not ask me questions about them.
Experience I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two years old. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.
Organizations World Wide Fund for Nature. Zoological Society of London. London Bat Group.
Publications Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group
Education/Credentials BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' levels in Zoology and Chemistry. 'O' Level in Biology.
Expert: Jonathan Wright Date: 5/10/2004 Subject: duck egg incubation times
Question We have a female duck that has nested next to our house. There are a lot of male ducks in the area as our nieghbor has a pond for them. My question is she seems to have been sitting on these eggs for a long time, how long should it take for her to hatch the eggs.
Thank you kindly
JR Hager
Answer Dear John
Thank you for your question.
Ducks usually incubate their eggs for about 28 days, but this is an instinctive response to an egg and birds will also incubate egg-shaped objects, such as golf balls and model eggs. They will lay infertile eggs if males have not mated with them and will lay fertile eggs if males have successfully mated with them.
The ducks will continue incubating the eggs until the eggs hatch. If your duck has been incubating the eggs for more than a month, there is a good chance that the eggs are infertile. Infertile eggs will never hatch. It is worthwhile checking if there is a duckling in each egg by holding the egg up to a light.
If the eggs are infertile, please remove them so that the duck can go back to feeding and leading a more productive life. Many zoos and aviaries remove eggs from a female bird and incubate them elsewhere. If the species is till in the breeding season, the female will mate again and lay another batch of eggs. This has enabled some species to increase their numbers, as zoos and aviaries enable a female to produce more young than she would normally achieve in the wild.
If the eggs are infertile, there are various things you can do with them. These include blowing the eggs to make ornaments, by decorating the eggs. I have seen decorated eggs at craft fairs and markets. You can also eat duck eggs or sell them.
