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I just found a bird egg...can I help it survive?

heretoinformheretoinform __BANNED USERS regular
edited May 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
I was doing some yard work, and I found a small egg (about the size of two jelly beans; white with brown specks). I took it inside, and after leaving it alone for about five minutes, it is still warm/hot; it is definitely generating heat. Is the bird still alive? What can I do to ensure that it lives? Can I build an artificial nest, or what? Some help right away would be great, since its just sitting on my table, and I don't know if I have to keep it warm or something.

Thanks.

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heretoinform on

Posts

  • oldsakoldsak Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    You'd probably have to get an incubator. Even then, i'm not sure how long you have to act before it turns.

    oldsak on
  • PonyPony Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Sounds like the egg of a common small bird, like a sparrow.

    Which means it's probably already dead. Easy way to check: is the egg warm to the touch? Yes? Possibly still alive. Cool to the touch? Dead bird.

    Pony on
  • PeachstrudlePeachstrudle Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    If the egg is still alive then you will need to keep it warm constantly, yes. Constantly.

    Peachstrudle on
  • RamiRami Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Check it on google, I'm sure you could find something. It will be difficult without an incubator though, but you might be able to create a makeshift one in an airing cupboard or something. From what I remember, you want to keep it at a temperature of about 37-40 degrees C, but don't let it dry out; keep a little dish of water nearby and keep it topped up.

    Rami on
  • RobAnybodyRobAnybody Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Sometimes local vets/human society/wildlife preservation people can take care of these things too. They tend to have tools/facilities that might give the bird a better chance of survival.

    Keep in mind this is largely dependent on where you live. Here in Oregon, you can't throw a rock without hitting someone involved in animal health.

    RobAnybody on
    "When a man's hands are even with your head, his crotch is even with your teeth."
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  • MushroomStickMushroomStick Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Around here, any shelters would just tell you to throw the egg back outside.

    http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8510
    Anyway, that's a link to instructions on how to make an incubator out of a foam cooler and a light bulb.

    MushroomStick on
  • corcorigancorcorigan Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Turning it over might have killed it. It does with reptiles, and their eggs are presumably pretty similar.

    corcorigan on
    Ad Astra Per Aspera
  • prawnstar69prawnstar69 Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    corcorigan wrote: »
    Turning it over might have killed it. It does with reptiles, and their eggs are presumably pretty similar.

    We looked after chicken eggs at school. They need to be turned every so often IIRC. We kept them in an incubator, watched them hatch, played with the chicks for a couple of days and then off they went.

    Looking back they were probably supplied by a local chicken farm and they were probably killed an eaten eventually.

    prawnstar69 on
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  • corcorigancorcorigan Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    prawnstar69 wrote: »
    corcorigan wrote: »
    Turning it over might have killed it. It does with reptiles, and their eggs are presumably pretty similar.

    We looked after chicken eggs at school. They need to be turned every so often IIRC. We kept them in an incubator, watched them hatch, played with the chicks for a couple of days and then off they went.

    Looking back they were probably supplied by a local chicken farm and they were probably killed an eaten eventually.

    Mmmm tasty. Schoolchild-raised poultry.

    Anyway, I was wrong then. Maybe it's at key points that they can't be rotated? It caused some of the inner membranes to detach from the shell or something.

    corcorigan on
    Ad Astra Per Aspera
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