How Many Days Is Muscovy Duck Incubation? The 35-Day Temperature, Humidity and Cooling Guide

The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) differs from other domestic ducks in many ways: bigger, quieter, with stronger beak and claws, and most importantly a markedly longer incubation. While the common duck hatches in 28 days, the Muscovy needs 35 days. That difference directly affects the incubation plan and especially the humidity-cooling routine. This guide covers Muscovy incubation duration, temperature and humidity settings, daily cooling and misting, the hatch period and duckling care.

How Many Days Is Muscovy Duck Incubation?

Muscovy eggs hatch in about 35 days (normal range days 33-37) — one of the longest incubations of any domestic poultry, and a full week longer than the common duck (28 days). So don't start Muscovy eggs in the same machine on the same day as common duck eggs; the hatch days won't line up.

Parameter	Value
Incubation period	35 days (33-37)
Temperature (forced-air)	37.4-37.6 °C
Humidity (phase 1)	55-60%
Lockdown day	Day 31
Hatch humidity	70-80%
Turning	5× a day (odd number)
Candling	Days 10, 18 and 31

For a species summary see our Muscovy duck species page.

Temperature and Humidity

In a forced-air machine keep the temperature steady at 37.4-37.6 °C. As a waterfowl its humidity need is higher than the chicken's: target 55-60% in the first phase and raise it to 70-80% for the hatch. It's critical that the egg loses the right amount of water over 35 days; rather than chasing a single humidity number, track the air cell's growth — details in our incubation humidity guide.

Daily Cooling and Misting

In nature, waterfowl eggs cool and get dampened regularly as the mother returns from water and sits on them with wet feathers. Imitating this in the machine markedly increases the hatch:

• When: From about day 10 to lockdown (day 31), once a day.
• How: Open the machine and let the eggs rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes (cooling), then lightly mist them with warm water and return them (misting).
• Why: This routine keeps the pores of the thick, oily Muscovy shell open and balances water loss.
• After lockdown, cooling and misting stop; don't open the machine anymore.

Turning and Candling

Turn the eggs 5 times a day (an odd number); stop at lockdown (day 31). Candle on days 10, 18 and 31. Because the Muscovy shell is thick and slightly oily, candling is a bit harder than a chicken's; use a strong light and cull infertile eggs. What to look for is covered day by day in our candling guide.

Lockdown and Hatch

On day 31 stop turning and daily cooling, raise the humidity to 70-80% and keep the machine closed. Hatch is expected on days 33-37. Muscovy ducklings are large and strong, but piercing the thick shell takes time; a long wait after the pip is normal, so don't intervene early. How the hatch progresses is in our hatch day guide.

Duckling Care

• Heat: 32-35 °C the first week, dropping ~3 °C each week. As waterfowl ducklings feather up, they can leave the heat earlier than chicken chicks.
• Niacin (B3): Like all waterfowl young, the Muscovy is sensitive to niacin deficiency; give supplemented feed or add niacin to the water to prevent leg weakness.
• A shallow, tip-proof drinker: Ducklings love water but get soaked, chilled and can drown when small; use a shallow, wide-based drinker and don't allow swimming early.
• Space: Muscovies grow fast and get large; size the brooder generously.

The general setup is like our brooder guide; the difference is the niacin need and water safety.

The Most Common Mistakes

• Starting Muscovy eggs on the same day as common duck eggs (35 vs 28 days; the hatch won't line up).
• Skipping daily cooling and misting (water loss isn't balanced with the thick, oily shell).
• Not giving ducklings niacin supplementation (leg weakness).
• Offering deep water/early swimming to small ducklings (chilling and drowning).
• Chasing humidity as a single number and never checking the air cell.

Track the 35-day Muscovy calendar and the cooling, candling and hatch days with the KuluçkaTakip app: pick the species, enter the start date, and let the app calculate the critical days for you.