A California woman has received praises for going above and beyond to ensure that a cracked duck egg she found in a park hatched, by incubating it in her bra for over a month – 35 days.
Betsy Ross was walking in the public park when she found a smashed up duck nests, and was begged by her kids to save a lucky egg which had only a small crack.
She had never hatched an egg before, and she didn’t think she could save it, but the children were already upset because of the nests, so she said yes.
In an interview with Bored Panda, Ross revealed that she contacted a local wildlife rescue organization since she didn’t have an incubator but learned they didn’t take eggs.
She thought of the next best warm place to keep it and opted for her bra, close to her chest. A quick search online proved that she had chosen the right spot as the eggs basically require warmth and humidity. She also read that she had to rotate it a few times a day.
Throughout the 35 days, the only time the egg wasn’t with her was when she showered as she handed it to her husband for a few minutes. She figured that if mother ducks left the nest every once in a while to get food, her egg would survive too.
The embryo inside the egg began to grow and Besty had to do more research on what to do when a duckling is hatching.
The little duck eventually got out of the egg, but it was still attached to the yolk on the bottom, which, she was told, was because he had hatched a bit early. She later learned on Reddit that it was either because the incubation temperature was too low, or because the temperature wasn’t stable.
Even after the duckling absorbed the yolk, it was too weak to stand, or even move, for a couple of days, but its human mom didn’t give up on it, keeping an eye on it and giving it water from time to time. He (it turned out to be a male) eventually built up the strength to walk and Betsy built him a special carrier and took him everywhere with her.
