How to Care for a Birds Egg | 10 Things You Should Do (Explained!)


Birds’ eggs are very fragile, and nurturing them into life requires a lot of care. Taking care of a bird’s egg is mainly to keep it alive until the incubation phase is over for successful hatching. Furthermore, caring for a bird’s egg is usually simple, especially when following the procedure. You are in the right place, as I will guide you on how to care for a bird’s egg.

The following are some of the ways you can care for a bird’s egg:

1. Put the Bird’s Egg in a Safe Place

If you want to care for a bird’s egg, consider putting it in a safe place far from children’s and predators’ reach. Ensure the place has minimum disturbances to avoid cracks that may lead to bacteria invasion and leakage of the internal content.

2. Maintain Warmth

Warmth is a key tip for caring for a bird’s egg. Warmth ensures the bird’s egg is alive by maintaining its internal content at good temperatures. Therefore, it is best to aim for temperatures of 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit when using an incubator. Provide a blanket, heating lamp, or pads to maintain the appropriate temperature in a nesting box.

3. Keep Them in an Appropriate Moisture

It is best to moisturize the bird’s egg to keep everything in place. Moisture helps boost the air’s composition, which helps keep eggs alive.

4. Rotate the Eggs

The eggs should be rotated at least five to six times a day. This process ensures proper air circulation and appropriate temperatures in different egg parts. This process is essential to keeping a bird’s egg alive.

5. Maintain Hygiene

Cleanliness is among the key factors in caring for a bird’s egg. Maintain proper hygiene around the nest where the eggs are put. This helps eradicate birds’ chances of infection from bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

6. Use the Candling Procedure to Check If the Bird’s Egg Is Alive

When caring for the bird’s egg, it is important to check whether it is alive or dead. Candling is a process where you flash bright light through the eggs in a dark room to check for the yolk’s veins, air pores, and color. Mostly, an alive egg has veins running through it, open-air pores, and a pale-yellow yolk.

7. Proper Ventilation

Air is essential to keeping a bird’s egg alive. Proper ventilation is a way of caring for a bird’s egg since there is adequate airflow. Therefore, avoid putting birds’ eggs in a closed environment, as it may suffocate them, causing their death.

8. Identify the Egg Species

If you come across a wild egg, you must identify the bird’s egg to know the incubation period, the right temperatures for incubation, etc.

9. Consistency

You must be consistent and patient when caring for a bird’s egg. Sometimes, the egg may fail to hatch; therefore, it is important not to raise your expectations to higher levels. However, continue caring for the birds’ eggs to encourage the hatching of new nestlings in the environment.

10. Prepare for Hatching

Once the incubation phase is almost complete, preparing for hatching and creating conducive environments for raising nestlings are important. 

You can also provide hatching assistance by providing appropriate humidity for a smooth transition. 

What Do You Need to Take Care of a Bird Egg?

The following is a list of five things you need to take care of a bird’s egg:

1. A temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. A moderate humidity.

3. A Clean nest.

4. Incubator.

5. Proper ventilation.

How Do You Take Care of a Bird Egg Without an Incubator?

Do you know you can still care for a bird’s egg without an incubator? 

Here is a guide on how to do it:

1. Heat the water until it attains a warm temperature.

2. Soak the hand towel in warm water.

3. Carefully wrap the egg with the wet towel.

4. Gently put the wrapped egg in a ceramic bowl.

5. Introduce the heat lamp at least eight inches below the ceramic bowl.

6. Once the heat lamp is turned on, it is likely to heat only one side of the egg.

7. Consider turning the egg every three to four hours. Do it carefully to avoid cracking the egg.

8. Regularly sprinkle more water on the hand towel to maintain a moist environment for the bird.

You can also use this process when you want to know how to hatch a bird egg at home.

How Long Can an Egg Survive Without Being Incubated?

An egg can survive for up to ten days without being incubated. 

However, if you have had the egg for this long, it is important to conduct candling to check whether it is still alive for incubation. 

Carefully hold the egg while transitioning to avoid breaking it. Remember, a cracked egg is prone to bacterial infections and leakage of the internal contents.

What Happens If You Don’t Incubate Eggs?

Failure to incubate eggs will cause death. An egg that is not incubated will mostly lack the warmth and moisture that keep it alive. 

Moreover, a lack of turning will cause the egg to lack proper air circulation, causing suffocation. Similarly, the yolk will start touching the shell’s inner membrane, causing the embryo’s natural death.

Can Bird Egg Hatch without a Mother?

Yes, a bird egg can hatch without a mother. Mainly, a bird egg that is alive with no cracks can be well taken care of at home with or without an incubator. 

Following the right procedure when incubating a bird egg will result in successful hatching even without the help of a bird parent. 

You can also take the bird egg to the wildlife rescue center, where they will care for the egg until the hatching is complete.

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