Hatching A Robin Egg???

[Arya28]

Hi!

I know this may be a long shot, and I would have never thought of this before hatching out chicken eggs.

I just found yesterday a perfect robin egg under our maple tree. It doesn’t have any cracks or anything. Is there a way to incubate it? Before I would’ve just thought “cool a robin egg!” But now that we’ve hatched chicken eggs I realize there could be a developing bird in there!

Is there any way to help it? I am in NE PA- it’s been getting to the low 40s- high 50s at night and 60-80 during the days. I don’t know how long it’s been there. Also, is it in the point in the year where mama robin would have been sitting on it by now? Or is there a chance it was just laid and not brooded yet?

Sorry I know it might seem bizarre but just looking for some opinions!

 

[Fishkeeper]

Put it back in the nest if you can see the nest. If not, I don't suggest trying to incubate it. Baby birds of species that aren't mobile at birth (chickens, etc) are very hard to raise, especially right from birth. You'd have to take it to a wildlife rescuer once it hatched to give it a decent chance at living. Honestly, the rescuers are probably all swamped at this time of year and would rather stick with raising baby birds than being handed a newly hatched bird that someone grew from an egg.
Most likely, the egg fell due to an early-on nest malfunction and hasn't developed anything yet other than maybe some veins. I understand the impulse to save it, but it's very unlikely that anything in there is actually a living organism rather than a bundle of tissue. Plus, it might be dead already, and I don't think anyone on here knows the temps at which robin eggs need to be incubated. Save your energy for other things and let nature have the egg.

 

[Scott214]

If you decide to hatch it which it is very possible you can just remember how vulnerable a baby robin is compared to a chick. I know they need feed about every hour or so and some won't feed unless they hear a momma birds call. So if you have that kind of time I can't wait to see the journey. If it hasn't been too long on the ground which it shouldn't have been there long or a predator or something would have done something to it you would think. Just look up how many times it needs to be turned and the temp. it might be lower than a chicken egg

 

[Ms Biddy]

My opinion is leave it be. If you were to successfully hatch it you'd have to be a mama bird and raise it. Then how would you teach it to return to the wild or would you be trying to keep it as a pet? Nature has her ways, even though we don't always understand them. The egg was either pushed out or got blown down by the wind. The bird who laid it will probably just lay another.

 

[Scott214]

If you do raise it and don't coddle it like we have the urge to it may be able to just leave the nest one day after its grown.

 

[Scott214]

I remember my sister found a baby bird on the ground one day and brought it home and raised it and it did just fine leaving as soon as it was ready to. I'm not saying do it, but i dont know I just see the world coming back to life from spring and I would be in the same situation as you and think there might be something i need to do.

 

[Arya28]

I will keep looking but I don’t see a neat. I don’t understand how it would have possibly fallen out of that big tree and not cracked though! Even if I did find the nest, if it had other eggs in it I wouldn’t want to put it back because I feel like mama might abandon her whole nest if she smells a human. Looking it up 100 f is the closest I can find for wild bird eggs at all- I have an incubator and a heat lamp, not sure what would work best though... not saying I’m going to do it, just tossing over ideas.

 

[Arya28]

I totally understand the don’t interfere with nature thing, not arguing with that. But if it’s just on the ground it has zero chance of hatching, right?

 

[oregonkat]

The egg is not likely to be viable.
Baby birds like robins are altricial, born without feathers, naked.
They are also teeny tiny. They require a very gooey, soupy goo for feeding usually consisting of ground up and previously digested worms or bugs which is then shoved down their throats by a very specialized 'beak'. They feed very often. They are tuned in to the sound of their parents, probably whilst in the egg and therefore know when to open wide when mom or dad approaches with the next snack.
So unless learning 'Robin' is on your list of things to do, I would leave the egg to Mother Nature.
It is a wonderful idea, but not a very practical one.

 

[wildone]

i say give it a shot. i have raised a baby robin, and they are tough! well sorta. we fed our tiny puffball every 30 minutes, (not at night) and it did fine.

we fed it hardboiled egg.