Found a bird egg in my backyard?

Question

I found an egg in my backyard. I have no clue where it came from. There arent any trees around where I found it. I'm guessing it's a bird egg though. It's off white with brown spots. There is definitely something alive inside and MOVING! Just not the type of person who can know something is alive and just leave it. How can I keep it alive? And what should I do if it starts to hatch?

Answer 1

i would gather alot of leaves [idk] and just lay the egg there, instead of it just hatching on plain grass!..so gather alot of leaves together and just put them down in da grass anywhere at a corner, and lay the egg! that way i dont think there woud be any problem!:]

hope i helped!:]

Answer 2

An incubator really is the way to go, but they aren't always available. If you can't find one, keep a light, such as a flexible desk lamp, trained on it. Put something soft below it to keep it from rolling or being damaged, but don't put anything on top of the egg or it might suffocate and die. Also (important!) don't put it in a metal container--something made out of plastic, wood or cardboard would be best--because metal overheats easily, and you don't want to bake it. Incubators usually keep the eggs at a temperature between 97-100 degrees. You should definitely keep the egg under 100 degrees; a thermometer would help greatly in this regard.

You will also need to turn the egg. At this point only an expert birder could tell what kind of egg it is--this should be done at least three times daily, although eagles and emus both turn their eggs once every hour. I would expect a smaller egg to require turning at least that often. Turning prevents the embryo from suffocating. An egg should be turned by rolling it the way it naturally wants to roll--assuming the egg is somewhat oblong, it will be longer from "top" to "bottom" than it is from one "side" to the other--roll it sideways so that the opposite side is facing up. The next time you turn it, don't roll it the same way, roll it in the opposite direction. Make sure you turn it slowly, as sudden movements can jar the embryo.

If it makes it that far, don't help the baby hatch. Baby birds need to hatch on their own, even though it can take twelve hours to do it. Helping them can actually hurt them in the long run. At this point, unless it comes from some species that is active early on (such as a grouse or pheasant), you will need to take it to a wildlife rehabilitator; birds that are altricial (born naked with their eyes closed) are extremely difficult to care for, and even after caring for several baby birds myself, I still wouldn't try it if there was a perfectly good rehabber who could be doing the job instead. That's what they're trained for.

If you must feed the bird, bugs are usually the best way to go, unless it's a pigeon, in which case you can't care for it because baby pigeons need crop milk, which can only come from its parents. Without knowing what kind of bird this is, I suggest anything BUT earthworms, because earthworms carry parasites which can be fatal for some types of birds. Crickets and mealworms may work, and canned cat food has been recommended by some vets (not only is it nutritious but it lacks an exoskeleton). But you must be very careful when you feed the baby bird: if you look down a bird's throat, you will see that it is split into two passages, one on the left and one on the right. You want to try to keep the food on your left hand side (the bird's right), because that passageway is the esophagus; the passageway on your right-hand side is the windpipe and putting food down there will suffocate the chick.

This may also be necessary because in several places--including all of the United States--it is illegal to possess a wild species. If you do get the egg to hatch, consider your work done, and take the baby to a rehabber, keeping it in a sheltered container, once its feathers/skin have dried.

Answer 3

Ok u either need to get an incubater you get them from most pet shops if you cant get an incubater get a lamp and a card box piont the lamp staright at the egg when it satarts to hatch u can either call a animal rescue unit but as soon as it hatches it will begin to tweet non stop

Find an insect or a worm crush it grind it up into a past then feed it to the bird

i had to do this because i found an egg in my garden and i hatched it and feed it

Answer 4

I think you should get a pail and put some soft metrial at the bottom and then put more soft metrail on it Then get a heating lamp and put over the egg,