in nature, what do birds do with their unfertilized eggs?

Question

obviously they would sit on their fertilized eggs, but if they lay unfertilized eggs, do they know to simply leave them behind or do they try to incubate them anyway?

Answer 1

birds will incubate eggs not knowing that they are unfertilized. If some hatch, the egg may end up getting tossed out by chicks in the nest...sometimes they just sit in the nest unhatched, under the chicks and are still in the nest after the chicks fledge. If none of the eggs in a clutch hatch, the female will figure it out eventually and abandon the nest and rebuild and lay a new clutch.

Answer 2

I have chickens, and they seem to be able to distinguish unfertilized eggs or fertilized dead ones from the live, developing eggs. They don't like to get up for quite a long time when they're sitting, and so they eat some of the nondeveloping eggs. I don't know how prevalent the behavior is among bird species in general.

Answer 3

well all I can say is when I used to collect the eggs on my grandmothers farm. the hens would incubate the eggs forever.. After the good ones would hatch, we'd just have to toss the others cause they were rotton... .. My granddad used to put an old white crystal door knob (kind used in 100yr old homes) in the hens box and they'd be encouraged to lay more eggs and incubate that door knob till hell freezes over... It seemed to make for better mothers.. I dont know why..

Answer 4

The unfertilized eggs will not hatch, so they are usually pushed out of the nest by the chicks.

Answer 5

First answer is correct. Even a chicken will do this. They may sit the nest for a certain time with the chicks under them. But, in a short time they just know it time to get on with life and teach their chicks how to live.

Answer 6

They just leave them to dry out, or just kick them over the nest.