Sparrow Nest Fell-Found Egg

[Katherine]

A sparrow's nest fell from the side of my window air conditioner. I found an egg in one piece. I've made a small box incubator with heating pad under it. It's so small, is there any chance of life in it and what else should I do? Thanks.

[Jackie in Tampa]

sending good thoughts...
wish I knew...hoping someone can come on to help...

[Pierre]

I know close to nothing, haha, but as a teenager, I incubated and hatched quail eggs.

The temperature needs to be about 100 degrees--I think it will be higher than a heating pad but not sure how warm your heating pad gets.

Also, they need decent humidity so check into that. Perhaps misting the box or keeping a little bowl of water in their box. Not wet but humid.

The eggs especially need to be rotated regularly or the baby will be stuck to one side of the egg and deformed [tho might live]. Pen a little "X" and "O" on each side [sides, not top and bottom ends] and rotate the egg, "X" up for ~4-6 hours, then the "O" up for ~4-6 hrs, etc. Try to keep the fat end of the egg pointing a tad bit upwards. This is that air pocket and you want to keep it up in that fatter end.

Best of Luck! I thing their incubation is only 10-14 days so not too long and if he lives, you can keep as a pet if you want or need. Sparrows aren't federally protected. :grouphug

[Katherine]

I know close to nothing, haha, but as a teenager, I incubated and hatched quail eggs.

The temperature needs to be about 100 degrees--I think it will be higher than a heating pad but not sure how warm your heating pad gets.

Also, they need decent humidity so check into that. Perhaps misting the box or keeping a little bowl of water in their box. Not wet but humid.

The eggs especially need to be rotated regularly or the baby will be stuck to one side of the egg and deformed [tho might live]. Pen a little "X" and "O" on each side [sides, not top and bottom ends] and rotate the egg, "X" up for ~4-6 hours, then the "O" up for ~4-6 hrs, etc. Try to keep the fat end of the egg pointing a tad bit upwards. This is that air pocket and you want to keep it up in that fatter end.

Best of Luck! I thing their incubation is only 10-14 days so not too long and if he lives, you can keep as a pet if you want or need. Sparrows aren't federally protected. :grouphug

Thanks Pierre.
I have an overhead heat lamp which I can set to 100 deg. Would that be better than heating pad since I don't know it's temp.

[Pierre]

Not sure. I guess you could place a thermometer in next to the egg to check. I think the overhead light might be too drying? And turning the egg would probably be ok every 6 hrs or so. :)

[Katherine]

Not sure. I guess you could place a thermometer in next to the egg to check. I think the overhead light might be too drying? And turning the egg would probably be ok every 6 hrs or so. :)

Will leave heating pad and not use overhead lamp. Will keep turning egg.
Thanks

[pappy1264]

Pierre has given great info. You can try. Egg incubating w/o a bird is not easy!

[Katherine]

Is there any way to tell life inside? Under light, it's just too small to see if there's a solid mass inside. I'm hoping for a first newborn feathered baby.

[DipityDane]

You can candle it with a flashlight in a completely dark room. It seems some of the native species can be harder to candle due to pigmentation in the shell maybe but the best odds are in a completely dark bathroom with a flashlight. You might see nothing....or veins...a hearbeat maybe...or a large mass(baby bird)

[Katherine]

You can candle it with a flashlight in a completely dark room. It seems some of the native species can be harder to candle due to pigmentation in the shell maybe but the best odds are in a completely dark bathroom with a flashlight. You might see nothing....or veins...a hearbeat maybe...or a large mass(baby bird)

Thank you. I took the egg into a bathroom with light out and blinds closed.
I saw a solid mass.......baby bird :wahoo
Please pray for this teeny life.
Thanks again.

[Pierre]

:multi

[DipityDane]

Yay! I hope you found him in time and he's able to be saved!:Love_Icon

[LyddicleaveBurrow]

Hi,

Best wishes, good thoughts and prayers for this precious little life. I hope that all goes well.

Heather.

[Kristal]

Good luck!:thumbsup And let us know what happens, will you?

[Katherine]

Thank you for all your good wishes. Hopefully, the little life in the egg will mature and hatch:crazy

[Kelly Brady]

Wow Katherine how cool.

If anyone has ever read Horton hatches an egg by Dr. Suess, Katherine this is you. One of my all time favorite childrens book.
Lazy mazy the bird flew to Miami to have a vacation and let her friend Horton the elephant sit on her egg. The bird was born looking like Horton.

I hope your little one looks like you:D Prayers for tiny one:grouphug

[Katherine]

Wow Katherine how cool.

If anyone has ever read Horton hatches an egg by Dr. Suess, Katherine this is you. One of my all time favorite childrens book.
Lazy mazy the bird flew to Miami to have a vacation and let her friend Horton the elephant sit on her egg. The bird was born looking like Horton.

I hope your little one looks like you:D Prayers for tiny one:grouphug

Hi Kelly,
Thanks for your prayers for the teeny life. I haven't read the book but will get a copy at the library. I'm also hoping the little one looks like me :crazy

[CritterMom]

Katherine, you may want to pick up a small container of a parrot handfeeding formula and a couple feeding syringes (they are more like eyedroppers - the formula is too thick to go through a hypodermic syringe like you would use for the mammal babies). Pet stores that carry parrots should have it - Kaytee, Lafaber - many different brands out there. Like the FV, keep the powder in the freezer and it will last for AGES.

[Katherine]

Katherine, you may want to pick up a small container of a parrot handfeeding formula and a couple feeding syringes (they are more like eyedroppers - the formula is too thick to go through a hypodermic syringe like you would use for the mammal babies). Pet stores that carry parrots should have it - Kaytee, Lafaber - many different brands out there. Like the FV, keep the powder in the freezer and it will last for AGES.
Thanks for your advice. If the egg hatches and I hope it does, this will be a first for me and I appreciate help.

[Katherine]

It's been 2 weeks since I found the egg. Most sources I found said it should hatch in 10 to 14 days. Should I give up hope? There is clearly a solid mass in there. Advice would be appreciated. I feel I shouldn't give up on this possible life.

[4skwerlz]

It's been 2 weeks since I found the egg. Most sources I found said it should hatch in 10 to 14 days. Should I give up hope? There is clearly a solid mass in there. Advice would be appreciated. I feel I shouldn't give up on this possible life.

Can you "candle" the egg? i.e., shine a bright light through the shell to see what's inside. Not sure if a live embryo should be moving, but if this close to hatching, seems like it might, or you might be able to see a heart beating??

Good luck.

[Kelly Brady]

I do hope the little one makes it. :grouphug

[Chickenlegs]

If there's a hatch in the near future you'll see something wiggling around trying to get away from the bright light. Make a tube with the light on one end and the egg on the other. It's hard to see when you're blinding yourself with a flashlight. From somebody who's hatched chickens: Don't be tempted to help the baby out when he does start to hatch. Lots of nutrients are absorbed from the yolk during the time a chick is hatching. Only when he's almost emerged should you help but not unless the baby is in obvious distress. Go to "Starling Talk". It's a birdie TSB. They have a recipe for diet and lots of bird rehab people to help you.

[Katherine]

Can you "candle" the egg? i.e., shine a bright light through the shell to see what's inside. Not sure if a live embryo should be moving, but if this close to hatching, seems like it might, or you might be able to see a heart beating??

Good luck.

Hi 4S,

Each time I've candled the egg, I see a solid being but no movement. This is my first experience of this kind, so I'll just keep on with heating pad and not give up. There's no definitive source I've found on how long it should take to hatch. Some say 10 to 14 days and it's past that but hopefully there's still a chance. A little life may still appear:Love_Icon

[Katherine]

I do hope the little one makes it. :grouphug

Thank you, Aunt Kelly. I'm hoping there's still life in the egg:Love_Icon

[Katherine]

If there's a hatch in the near future you'll see something wiggling around trying to get away from the bright light. Make a tube with the light on one end and the egg on the other. It's hard to see when you're blinding yourself with a flashlight. From somebody who's hatched chickens: Don't be tempted to help the baby out when he does start to hatch. Lots of nutrients are absorbed from the yolk during the time a chick is hatching. Only when he's almost emerged should you help but not unless the baby is in obvious distress. Go to "Starling Talk". It's a birdie TSB. They have a recipe for diet and lots of bird rehab people to help you.

Thanks Chickenlegs,
Don't see any movement when I candle the egg, just a solid mass :dono