Q&A for How to Find and Take Care of Wild Bird Eggs

If there is liquidy gunk oozing from the crack, ten that egg is dead. If there is a crack with nothing oozing from, it then there is still a chance it could survive.

Put it under a heated lamp or something that will create substantial heat so that the chick won't freeze to death. Be sure not to suffocate it by putting it in a sealed container, either.

It depends. If you waited more than 22 days for the egg to hatch, it would probably be dead. But it depends on what kind of bird it is too.

Look up the color(s) and size. For example, what birds lay small blue eggs, or what birds lay tan speckled eggs. You will probably be able to find it! You could also go to your local library and look for books about bird eggs and birds!

Put a warm towel in a shoebox and keep it under a lamp, however, even if you do find the nest the bird will probably reject the egg and you should take it to a rehabilitator or care for it yourself.

Look at the nest every 20 minutes or so for the whole day. If no bird comes, then you can take action.

Ideally, the mother bird should sit on the eggs until hatching time. Although incubators or lights can be used to hatch eggs, it is vital that the correct temperature be used or it can be dangerous or fatal to the chicks.

Call your local game warden or animal rehabilitation center. This may be a rare species of owl.

It depends. If the egg needs to be warmed temporarily, then a simple warm towel will do. If it is more permanent, then an incubator will be needed.

If the parents are taking care of the egg, don't take it. Only take it if it has been abandoned. You should never interfere when the eggs are being properly cared for. This includes not taking eggs you come across without waiting for a long time to check they really are abandoned -- the parents may just be out getting food for themselves.

It takes about 21 days, depending what type of egg it is. You can look it up if you do not know what type it is.

Feed them fresh insects. They love worms and especially grasshoppers. Try to get the insect/worm alive -- they like it better fresh.

Keep it under a heated lamp and make sure it's cushioned, but don't over heat it.

Find nests nearby. It might have fallen from its nest. If you find one, leave the bird where it is. Its parents will be looking for it.

Don't put the eggs outside, because a raccoon or some other predator may get to them, but you will want to put them somewhere where they will not be heard and they will be safe. Regarding your parents: just be discreet about it.

You will need to keep the light on the egg until it hatches, but it would be a better chance of surviving if you leave it on the bird until it has at least grown a few feathers. That way, it can keep its body heat in, rather than the heat escaping out of its skin.

The song thrush is omnivorous, eating a wide range of invertebrates, especially earthworms and snails, as well as soft fruit and berries.

If you're only 9, you will need help taking care of the wild baby bird, and that help should come from someone who knows what they're doing. Please tell a parent and ask them to call your local animal/wildlife rehabilitation organization.

For any kind of bird, not long at all. All bird eggs need to stay at a temperature of around 99-100 degrees F. Any colder than that can kill the bird inside if left for about 1 minute at the most. If you really want the egg to hatch, get an Incubator.

I use a thermometer that I would normally use to check for a fever. It works better than a cooking thermometer because it is WAY more precise.

Worms or bread crumbs. If you feed the bird bread crumbs, make them very little so the bird does not choke on them.

You shouldn't be catching wild birds. Birds want freedom and want to fly rather than stuck in a cage doing nothing. If you really want a pet bird, go to a pet shop.

Unfortunately, you can't. You will have to candle it to be able to tell how old it is.

Check out wikiHow's helpful article about making an incubator for some ideas.

Unfortunately, that egg is dead. If there is a dent in it, the embryo and membrane of the shell are damaged. This egg will not live.

Let it break on its own.

If it hasn't hatched yet, there is no way to tell its gender. After robins hatch, you can guess the gender based on beak color. Females have orange-ish beaks, while males have darker beaks.

Try to avoid that. Wild birds may have illnesses that are not safe to pet birds. They might also not get along and even try to kill each other.

Shine a flashlight through it. If you see something in there, or you see lots of veins, it contains an embryo.

Your first step should be to report your egg to the RSPCA/animal control facility near you. If you don't have one, keep the egg warm and keep regular tabs on it.