Totally NOT squirrel related but...

[Dougie]

the crazy devil child neighbor kid ripped a birds nest out of the tree in front of her house and crushed 1 egg before my son and daughter could snatch it up. they managed to get the other one away.

I don't know what to do with it. Is it a lot cause? Can I save this little buddy? Ive got it in a rubbermaid box outside covered in cotton bedding and such. Should I jut give up.

Again sorry not squirrel related at all but as im a squirrel mommy, I find it important to save all wild creatures.

[island rehabber]

Dougie, send a PM to psychobird, NaturesGift and pappy1264. Good bird rehabbers who can help!

[Dougie]

thank you thank you!

pms sent.

Now im thinking i should go outside get the egg and put it on a heating pad but I don't want it to get too hot so i just dont know what to do.

its 73 here tonight and the egg is covered with carefresh and cotton.

[Rhapsody]

Did Momma Bird ever come back..... ?

[Kristal]

If you hope to save it, it's going to be yours. There is no way that a bird can fly it back. You will have to keep it warm to incubate the egg or the bird fetus will die. How warm is a bit of a problem because it is possible to slowly cook it, too :( It's probably still alive in there. Maybe put it on a lot of cloth piled up on a heating pad on low to keep it just a bit warm without being too much so. An experienced bird rehabber should know what a good temp is. You can also "candle" it to see what is going on in there, ie how developed the fetus is. To "candle", shine a flashlight through the egg in a dark room. You will be able to see inside of the egg a bit with the light. It's like what happens when you hold a flashlight up to your palm or face in the dark.

I know there are imprinting concerns with birds, so this might be an interesting experience for you... I hope it all works out well!

[scoobysnack]

Wonder if you can lose that kid in the desert somewhere? Not a good sign when kids wantonly destroy living things for no reason. Future serial killer for sure!

[island rehabber]

Wonder if you can lose that kid in the desert somewhere? Not a good sign when kids wantonly destroy living things for no reason. Future serial killer for sure!

This is now proven fact...not necessarily serial killers, but kids who torture/kill animals WILL go down the criminal path. :shakehead

[stosh2010]

The GREAT news is that YOUR Children acted quickly and with compassion--you have taught them well--- You should be PROUD...

################################################## ##################

Stosh >>> Keeper of Rama Rota ( the KING of Costa Rica )
Visit the KING at :
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...27141&page=287

[pappy1264]

You will need a brooder (or another bird that will be willing to sit on it!) Do you have any farms near you? Perhaps they have sitting hens they could use as fosters (or even better if they have guinea fowl). Heck, if you were close to me, I could give it to Stewie and try that! Do you know what type of bird egg it is?

And yes, future serial killer you got living near you.....very sad.

[SquirrellyMom]

incubator? I know you can get one for like 40 at tractor supply. I think for birds it is suppsoed to be set to 99.5 or 95? I don't remember but when we find babies or eggs or someone has a bird that wont sit on their eggs we incubate as soon as possible. Candling is also a good idea because if it is not fertile then no matter what you do it will end in a rotten egg. Also if it is fertile and hatches then you will need a keytee blend of bird formula.

[pappy1264]

brooder...incubator, same thing basically.

[Dougie]

well guys I think we are just going to call this one a loss. The egg has been off incubator/heat for about 18 hours now and from what I hear its probably not going to make it.

I will be talking to the girls parents for sure. The egg is a cardinal egg and I think its freaking ridiculous that any child would willingly destroy a birds nest and step on and smash eggs. It makes me sick.

[Dougie]

oh im going to flashlight the egg to see if I see any movement before I just throw it out.

[Kristal]

Just because you see no movement does not mean it is dead. It will tell you if it is infertile or how far along the fetus is, though. I would still give a shot at incubating if I were you.

[SquirrellyMom]

I have seen them go longer and still survive. They are not always a lost cause even when we think there is no way they could have made it. Flashlight it and see if you can see anything if so I would try incubation. I think the longest I have seen without incubation is about 3 days but I am not 100 percent. If you do get an incubator then get one that has an egg turner as the egs need to be turned every so often throughout the day to ensure proper formation and growth of the fetus.

[Kristal]

And just put it on a small pile of cloth on top of a heating pad on low for the time being. A little bit of heat is better than nothing, I'd think.

[Kristal]

This is now proven fact...not necessarily serial killers, but kids who torture/kill animals WILL go down the criminal path. :shakehead


Well, they could be neglected, miserable or abused kids acting out. I can remember the moment when I first understood that animals were sentient and what death is... and it was life changing. I grew up in a home where animals, and even people, were horribly mistreated, and this was normalised for me before I came to question it. Not everyone has the ability to question what they learn or find other ways of dealing with their feelings... So I don't think it is really so cut and dried. It makes me wonder what is going on in a kids life when I see so much unresolved anger and frustration boiling over in harmful ways like that.

[DipityDane]

Yes, definitely candle the egg before throwing it out...when candled you will see one of three things....first, you may see absolutely nothing...which means that the egg is either unfirtle OR the mother had yet to begin incubating them....a bird lays all of her eggs over a period of days before she begins to sit on them...until that time the eggs stay in a sort of waiting period....you might see a network of veins...which means the egg is in the early stages of development and depending HOW far along, you might see the embryo with it's little beating heart in the egg...or lastly, the baby may be so developed that you see barely anything but little gaps of light breaking thru here and there and larger, crowded movements. I hope little "Shelldon" is still alive and you can get him incubated soon...for chickens the temperature should be kept somewhere around 101....not sure about cardinals tho...all species incubate at slightly different temperatures.