As Herringbone said, raising chicks inside is messy. While your winters are short, I think I would wait a little while, so that the chicks can be raised in an unheated shed rather than the garage once they are beyond the initial, more delicate stage, and can handle temperature swings. Do you also have an brooder set up, or can you make one? If you do a search for incubators, hatching eggs and or brooders/raising chicks, etc. on the forum, you should get lots of info - it comes up regularly in the spring. Also, not from experience, but from reading, homemade incubators are difficult to keep evenly warm and humid, so your rate of unhatched eggs will be higher than with a purpose built commercial incubator. I don't know how old your kids are, nor their temperaments, but can they simply accept that some of the eggs won't hatch, or is that going to cause problems? Can you start now and put up flyers or ask at the local feed store(s) if anyone has one they can lend you, maybe for a percentage of chicks, if it is a big one?

i AM COPYING THIS FROM THE SITE. i HAVE NEVER INC. ONLY MOMMMA DUCK HATCHED MINE possumdes by possumde... Member since: March 20, 2007 * Best answer 52% * 54 answers Member Since: March 20, 2007 590 (Level 2) Best Answer - Chosen by Voters Keep an eye on them, if the shells are too dry from an incubator or the mum sitting too tight, sometimes the shell can be too hard for them to get out of. I do think though that at this point you should break them out carefully (or at least one to see how things are going) and start at the top where they are already chipping. My elderly father is here at the moment and he used to live on farm. He said that he never bothered to time how long it took chooks or ducks to hatch, but thinks several hours at least. We used to breed canaries and from memory they took anywhere form a couple of hours to about 4-5 hours. What happens is that when the chick starts to peck they are not actually ready to come out becauase the egg sac that they feed off is still outside the body. The chicks pick at the shell then rest for up to 15 minutes then have another go at it. During this time the egg sac is gradually absorbed back into the body. If you break them out too early the sac is not absorbed and they will die. If the chicks sound like they are still picking strongly,.. rub the shell with warm water to moisten and soften the shell (dont let it get into the shell). Chicks should be picking a circle around the top of the egg like a can opener if not and are trying to pick a big a hole in one spot then they are in trouble. Try not to handle the eggs too much, just listen if you can without moving them but if the picking is sounding really erratic or weak... break them out. Personally I would break out just one and see if the egg sac is gone / the duckling looks normal. If chick looks physically ok- yep do the rest. Better to risk one as being too early than loose the lot. As a PS the day before they are due to hatch take the eggs and dip for a couple of seconds (only) in warm water (about body temp) as this will help soften the shells and make hatching much easier for the little guys. I used to have a big dish of water for chooks or a bowl for the canaries and just put them into it carefully push them under once then let them float for a few seconds. You will also know if any have died in the shell on the way as the Live eggs will wriggle a little because the chicks can sense the change in temp.

The boxes were paired about 10 feet apart,they each began building nest and the both began laying eggs ,Then All of the sudden,The TRES decided they wanted the other box.They moved in and began laying more eggs with the Wren eggs,even carefully adding nesting material under the the Wren eggs.I noticed the Wren was going in the other box where the TRES used to be.I thought for sure they would throw out the TRES eggs and rebuild another nest,But they didn't,she began incubating the TRES eggs.The start of incubation was a week apart,so I couldn't just switch everything.I was surprised some of the eggs hatched.I did contact a rehaber as soon as I noticed what was going on.Since TRES feed in the air,there was no way each Species would have survived once fledging.Here is the surviving TRES from the video,He/She was pulled from the nest just before it was due to fledge.It was released a few weeks later by the rehaber.

I've been lucky enough to "host" chickadees for the last 6 years. The first year it was a little war between the bluebirds and the chickadees. The bluebirds have always, w/o a single exception, used the back yard nest box. They already had five eggs and incubation had started when the chickadees started nest building in a front yard box. The bluebirds were having "none of that" and constantly harassed them by going in and out of the dee nest box. I was advised to add a 1 1/8 or 1 /14th inch hole reducer to keep the bluebirds OUT and I did and things were fine for both the bluebirds and the dees. I have bluebirds in the back yard right now and the dees have laid their third egg today in the front yard box. So far, the bluebirds are not bothering the dee box but if they do I'll add the reducer again. I agree with Elly, do no disturb that nest. It's possible the dees will return or that they have and you've just missed seeing them. While they do incubate every day it's possible they have not started incubating yet. Most times females do start incubation the day before, day of or day after the last egg is laid but not 100% of the time so it's premature to think they won't return. I would recommend that you add a reducer to keep the bluebirds out of the box. If, after that, the chickadees don't come back for a full week then I'd remove the nest and eggs and the reducer. But, be sure you've had a chance to look at the box for a full hour before assuming it's been abandoned.