Many of us can’t tell whether a bird egg is alive or not from just looking at it.
If you find a bird egg, while out and about, knowing if it is alive or not will help you figure out how, and if, you should handle that egg at all.
The last thing you want to do is take a live egg away from its parents. So, how do you know if a bird egg is alive? This article looks into it.
You’ll know if an egg is alive if it is warm, if it moves while being in an incubator, if there are no cracks on the eggshell, if you see movement in the egg as well as veins in the egg when you perform a flashlight test and if you notice that the egg yolk is pale when you candle the egg.
Table of Contents
How to know if a bird egg is alive:
Eggs in your care:
If you’re taking care of eggs it’s necessary to know when to keep incubating them and when to try again with a fresh new batch of eggs. This is how to tell if a bird egg in your care is alive or not:
Movement:
If a bird egg is still alive you’ll notice the egg moving from time to time, this movement can easily be seen if the egg is in an incubator. If the egg is moving, even if the movement is slight, then the bird egg is alive, if the egg never moves then it is not alive
Temperature test:
Chicks need warmth in order to grow while inside an egg. If you touch a birds egg and the egg is cold, then the egg is not alive, a warm egg is a sign of life
Solid eggshells:
The eggshell is what keeps the contents of the egg from running out and keeps organisms from entering the egg. If the eggshell is cracked, then the embryo inside is likely dead. The only time the egg should crack is when the chick is trying to get out
Flashlight test:
You may not be able to open the egg and see its contents but you can still see the inside of an egg by using a flashlight, the best place to do this is in a dark room. To do this, shine the light of a flashlight on the egg and look for the presence of veins.
You should also check for movement within the egg. If you see veins or notice movements within the egg then the egg is likely alive.
Yolk color:
Another way to tell if the egg is alive or not is to compare its yolk to the yolk of an infertile egg, you can do this by candling both eggs. Live eggs will have pale yolks, dead eggs will have a more orange yolk.
If you candle the egg and it has a dark-looking yolk, (if the yolk is the same color as an infertile egg) then it is dead.
Float test:
Another way to go about testing eggs is to perform a float test. To do this, take your egg and place it in a bowl of water. If the egg sinks to the bottom then it is likely dead. If the egg floats then it is still alive.
Eggs in the wild:
Before you decide to take home and eat a wild egg it is important to know if the egg is alive or not. If you take a live egg home the mother bird will be less than impressed, this is how to know if an egg that you find in the wild is alive:
Nurtured eggs:
If you find an egg in the wild you may have to keep an eye on it over a couple of days in order to figure out if it is alive or not.
A live egg will be nurtured by other birds in the area, if the egg is still alive, other birds will travel back and forth checking on the egg over a few days.
Dead eggs will be left for predators or other animals to find and eat
FAQ:
Do birds know their eggs are dead?
Yes, a bird will know her eggs are dead
We as humans can’t get into the minds of birds but we can assume the birds know that the eggs are dead because the eggs will be cold, the eggs will weigh less because they are drying out, and there will be no sounds coming from the eggs when they are meant to hatch.
How do you keep a bird egg alive?
The first thing to do after finding a bird egg is to check for signs of life.
If it is still alive, you should look for a nearby nest where the egg must have fallen from and return it. In the case where you can’t find one, it is up to you to keep the bird egg alive.
Don’t try to clean the egg, as doing so might remove its protective layer.
To keep the egg alive place the egg in an incubator and maintain a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. While in the incubator, rotate the eggs at least six times a day. The egg should hatch in about 14 days.
How long can a bird egg live without warmth?
A bird egg can survive for seven days without any warmth. After this, the egg will die if not kept warm
In the wild, some birds even lay eggs but don’t start incubation immediately.
The reason for this is that they want all the eggs in a clutch to hatch at the same time. This is why you won’t find birds incubating eggs until all the eggs arrive, this usually happens in less than seven days.
How do you tell if there is a live chick in an egg?
An easy way to ascertain if an egg contains a live chick is to candle the egg. Look inside the egg with the light produced by the candle. If you can see blood vessels or a dark shape moving slowly in the shell, there is a live chick in the egg.
Live chicks are also known to produce body heat. If you hold the egg and it feels warm, that’s another sign that the chick in the egg is still alive.
Can bird eggs hatch without their mother?
While bird eggs need their mother to sit on them before they can hatch, it is also possible for the same eggs to hatch without their mother.
With the aid of an incubator, you can get any bird egg to hatch. If a mother bird dies or goes missing, her eggs can still hatch if they are adequately cared for and incubated.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a couple of ways to check whether your egg is alive or dead. One way is to shine a flashlight on the egg while in a dark room, if the egg is alive you will see movement and veins in the egg.
Alternatively, you can check if the egg is warm, if the egg is cold then it is most probably dead. If the egg has cracks on its shell then it is likely also dead. A live egg will have a pale yolk, you can see the yolk by candling the egg.
If you find a live egg it is recommended that you place the egg in an incubator, it can only survive for 5-7 days without warmth.
If there is a live chick in the egg then the egg will feel warm, the chick inside produces body heat. An egg can hatch without its mother if it is placed in an incubator.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Can birds move their babies? Can birds eat hemp seeds? Do birds have friends? How do birds show affection to humans? What do birds do with unhatched eggs? Do penguins bury their dead?