Is this a"wild bird" egg?

[kroder]

One of my little d'Anvers hen went broody this week. One of the eggs under her is this tiny brown one (on the bottom). I have had 3 other of these eggs over the past few months. I didn't think much of the first couple--thinking it was a fluke of the young d"Anvers, but now I am wondering if a wild bird is laying eggs in my nesting boxes. My hen house has windows that remain open in the spring/summer, so it would be possible for a bird to get in. I now only have 3 d'Anvers hens and they are all now over a year old and laying regularly.
The eggs in this pic are from the birds in my flock for size comparison. From top to bottom is a Necked Neck, Silkie, d'Anver and the one in question--that is a quarter for comparison. I thought about letting it hatch out- then decided against it for fear it might be a cowbird or something else that is not precocious. Any thoughts or experience with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nurse_turtle]

I really doubt it's a wild bird. It would be unusual for a wild bird to lay so closely to much larger birds which would be considered potential predators. Chances are, those all are 'fart' eggs. Candle those to see if there's a yolk. Most 'fart' eggs have no yolk.

 

[Beekissed]

No, not wild bird eggs. Just starter eggs.

 

[fatgranny]

I have found a total of four wild bird eggs in my hens nest box this year! I have been gifted these eggs by a very lovely California Towhee that hangs around our garage, where the "coop" is located...My four Danish Brown Leghorns are 15 months old, and are free range, and do not seem to care that this perky little bird is using them to sit her eggs! My husband and I get a real kick out of this!

 

[JimnTer]

The fact that the colour is distinctly different from the others is what really gets my attention. I did a search for "cowbird egg" and all the pictures I got all showed speckled eggs, so I think your safe there. I'd be tempted to try to hatch one just to see what you get.

 

[kroder]

That is what I noticed too. I don't have any hens that lay that color eggs. My youngest hens that are laying are 1 1/2 years old. They are the only ones that lay eggs even close to that size. Neither one of them are laying right now and I still occasionally find one of those eggs! Until this year I have never had an egg that dark. I broke one open and it does have a small yolk. I thought about letting a few incubate, but I really don't have time to raise a helpless little baby! I will do a search for eggs of the most common birds I see hanging around my coop. We have a lot of grackles, doves and starlings too. The last thing I want is more grackles or starlings!

 

[JimnTer]

I did a search for the three species you mentioned. I didn't really need to for starlings, they are blue/green, very similar to a robin egg. Grackle eggs that I have seen are similar in colour to the starlings, but with a splatter effect of darker markings on them. The search I did says the base colour can vary a bit and could even be brown, but the dark splotches should still be present. All the pictures of dove eggs I found were similar in colour to the three different chicken eggs tn your picture. I would think it would have to be a bird of about the size of one of these 3 though to lay an egg that size.

 

[BayGoose]

I've seen many cowbird eggs and that is not what they look like. They are majorly white with brown speckles. I don't think it looks like a wild bird egg, at least the ones I've reared. (I use to rehab wild bird species).