Makeshift Incubator?

[Evadig]

My idiotic duck stopped brooding after three of her eggs hatched, leaving three eggs that are due to hatch in a couple days. I don't have an incubator and can't get one. I have a glass terrarium and a heat lamp and I can run the shower for humidity; do you think I could make a makeshift incubator with that? They've been abandoned for nearly eight hours and are very cold, but are still kicking (literally). I'd like to give them a chance if possible. Thanks .

 

[MGG]

My idiotic duck stopped brooding after three of her eggs hatched, leaving three eggs that are due to hatch in a couple days. I don't have an incubator and can't get one. I have a glass terrarium and a heat lamp and I can run the shower for humidity; do you think I could make a makeshift incubator with that? They've been abandoned for nearly eight hours and are very cold, but are still kicking (literally). I'd like to give them a chance if possible. Thanks .

A heating pad on low would probably be safer, that's what I'd do with them. Get a few thermometers though and calibrate them to check temp with. Misting with warm water periodically should suffice for humidity. Most heating pads shut off automatically after a few hours though, you'll have to keep turning it back on if yours does. A heat lamp over a terruaium would probably get too hot and be tricky to stabilize, but you could try in the meantime. If you pull the ducklings from your duck you can sometimes get them to go back to setting, and then reintroduce the older ducklings once the others hatch if you want to try that route.
Good luck!

 

[Evadig]

A heating pad on low would probably be safer, that's what I'd do with them. Get a few thermometers though and calibrate them to check temp with. Misting with warm water periodically should suffice for humidity. Most heating pads shut off automatically after a few hours though, you'll have to keep turning it back on if yours does. A heat lamp over a terruaium would probably get too hot and be tricky to stabilize, but you could try in the meantime. If you pull the ducklings from your duck you can sometimes get them to go back to setting, and then reintroduce the older ducklings once the others hatch if you want to try that route.
Good luck!

Thank you for answering! I've already taken the older ducklings. I do not think the duck in question will sit again. She wanted to get up yesterday but I forced her to sit another day. I will try my best with the heating pad and the mister .

 

[Evadig]

We don’t have a heating pad. I put them in this fish tank partially under the heat lamp and misted them.
Is there anything I should change?

How often do I need to mist them?

Do I need to turn them at this point? I believe they have a few days left or less - they are taking up most of the shell.

 

[MGG]

We don’t have a heating pad. I put them in this fish tank partially under the heat lamp and misted them.
Is there anything I should change?

How often do I need to mist them?

Do I need to turn them at this point? I believe they have a few days left or less - they are taking up most of the shell.

Oh ok. I would just watch temp very closely. Do you have a candy or meat thermometer you could use? Those are usually more accurate.
It depends on how often the condensation on the glass fully evaporates. If you have a hygrometer you can check for sure (you can get decent thermometers and hygrometers at Walmart even) but if not I'd just try to keep a little condensation on the walls of the glass.
No don't turn them. If you candle them, you want the spot where the air cell dips down the most to be facing up and for it to stay in that position.

 

[Evadig]

Oh ok. I would just watch temp very closely. Do you have a candy or meat thermometer you could use? Those are usually more accurate.
It depends on how often the condensation on the glass fully evaporates. If you have a hygrometer you can check for sure (you can get decent thermometers and hygrometers at Walmart even) but if not I'd just try to keep a little condensation on the walls of the glass.
No don't turn them. If you candle them, you want the spot where the air cell dips down the most to be facing up and for it to stay in that position.

I'll get the meat thermometer in there as well. Should they be laying flat or with the air cell side down?

 

[Glory to His name]

I was able to hatch some chicken eggs with a very similar setup!
I second monitoring temp very closely. Hope your hatch is a success!

 

[MGG]

I'll get the meat thermometer in there as well. Should they be laying flat or with the air cell side down?

No just flat. Can you snap a candling pic of each without disturbing them too much?
Good. Temp should be 99.5. Or at least in the 99s. Fractions of a degree aren't a huge deal.

 

[Evadig]

No just flat. Can you snap a candling pic of each without disturbing them too much?
Good. Temp should be 99.5. Or at least in the 99s. Fractions of a degree aren't a huge deal.

I do not know how to take a picture while candling... We tried taking a picture with a phone while the egg was held to the light, but it didn't work.

 

[MGG]

I do not know how to take a picture while candling... We tried taking a picture with a phone while the egg was held to the light, but it didn't work.

Do you have a flashlight? I have a small one that works great but even a bigger one can work of you cut the extra light off. Could you still see movement and veins in all of them?
Here are a few candling pics of an internally and externally pipped egg. Yours should look very similar.