Duck eggs undergo an intubation process after they are laid until they are ready to hatch.

Incubation is an important part of the birth process of a duck. It is the period of development of the embryonic duck inside the egg.

On average, depending on the species, a duck egg takes 28 to 35 days of incubation before it hatches.

“Incubation provides the heat needed for embryos to develop inside the eggs of ducks and geese. Because the required temperature range of developing embryos is narrow, parents must commit to a rigorous incubation schedule,” John M. Coluccy, Ph.D., & Jennifer Thieme wrote for Ducks Unlimited.

But even during incubation, the duck parent still needs to take a break and they do, even for just a brief time. They know that every time they leave the nest, they leave the eggs vulnerable to dropping or increasing temperature or, worse, predators.

Unfortunately, a handful of duck nests in a local park in California succumbed to predators.

Betsy Ross and her family were spending quality time at the park when they discovered the smashed duck nests. Who could have done such a thing?

Fortunately, they discovered one egg that survived. It was a tough one. Although the egg was cracked, it wasn’t leaking and its membrane was still intact.

“My kids were very upset about it … [they] found a lone egg with a small crack that wasn’t leaking and asked me to save it. I really didn’t think I had a chance of saving it because I’ve never hatched an egg,” Betsy told Bored Panda.

But Betsy’s maternal instincts kicked in and she agreed with her kids to save the egg.

“Saved a cracked egg! Carried it in my bra for 35 days. It was born prematurely [and] he was still attached to the yolk… it was not absorbed so I got a wet paper towel and applied antibiotic on its cord and tummy twice a day. Surprised he didn’t die,” Betsy wrote on Reddit.

Betsy didn’t have an incubator though so she asked for advice from the local wildlife organization.

Unfortunately, the organization couldn’t take the egg. But they did agree to take in the duckling once the egg hatched.

Betsy works as an independent contractor, as a sign language interpreter. During the school year, she can get regular jobs. But she’s mostly not working during the summer, except for the odd job here and there.

And she wasn’t working at that time so she decided she can do this. She can incubate the egg until it hatches.

There was one problem though, they didn’t have an incubator and they couldn’t afford to buy one. Betsy had to improvise. She placed the egg in the first place she could think of, between her breasts. Since she was a plus-sized woman with big breasts, it was the most logical place she could think of at that time.

She found out it was a good decision when the did the research. She just needed to rotate the egg four to five times a day.

But what if she had to take a shower or sleep?

“When I had to shower, I had my husband hold it. I figured if mom ducks leave to get food for a bit then wouldn’t hurt to leave to shower,” Betsy said.

As for sleeping, she slept with the egg in her bra. Miraculously, nothing bad happened to the egg during the night.

Betsy kept at this for 35 days until she heard faint pipping from the egg. When she looked at the egg, she discovered the beak pushing through the shell. She placed the egg in the box and waited for it to completely hatch.

But excitement turned to worry when the duck didn’t come out of its shell after a day.

She called the vet and found out that the duck was being shrink-wrapped inside the membrane. Betsy needed to peel it away in the area near the duck’s nose so they could breathe. She also needed to be careful and avoid any veins while she peeled off the shell.

“He eventually got out half-way but was still connected to the yolk on the bottom of the egg,” Betsy said. “I was told it was because he was early but found out on reddit it was from not being warm enough or the temperature not being stable.”

Betsy improvised again and wrapped a wet towel around the shell. She also applied antibiotics on the duck twice a day so the duck wouldn’t get an infection.

She didn’t know if it was going to work. Thank goodness it did!

The duckling absorbed all the yolk but he was still too weak to stand or move. But Betsy didn’t give up on him and she continued to care for him.

Pretty soon, he had the strength to walk on his own. Betsy made a carrier for him so she can take him with her wherever she went. But other than that, he had the strength to swim in the tub or puddles.

This duck is definitely grateful for people like Betsy, who helped him get a second chance at life.

After a few weeks, Betsy called the animal rescue and helped get the duck adopted by a nearby farm.

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Source: Reddit/junebug878787, Sciencing, Ducks Unlimited, Bored Panda, Oddity Central