How do you know if a bird egg is alive?

Question

My mom keeps parakeets and for years none of them have mated. Just recently when she was cleaning the cage she discovered an egg in the corner. She put it in the mating box she'd had in there for a while and the bird has gone in and out. She wonders how to know if the little egg is alive or not. And if it is, and it seems like the bird doesn't want anything to do with it, how can she help it survive? Thanks.

Answer 1

You can put it against a strong light after about the eigth day and see if it's dark inside, but it's kind of hard to tell.
Also, I remember reading that you can put it in a basin with luke warm water, if it floats pointing down, it probably means there's a baby inside. If it floats sideways or sinks, little chance.
But the best way is waiting, small birds usually take about 13 days to hatch.
Good luck with that.

Answer 2

Dear Shelli, I hope your day is going better than mine. Well for now provide nesting material around the cage and not in the nest box so that the hen will pick and choose and build her nest her way. Eggs are pretty fragile. Wash your hands well. That way the skin oils don't clog the porous egg. The pores are responsible for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. In a dark room candle the egg by putting a strong flashlight close to the egg. If you see what looks like a network of red veins, then it is fertile. Most birds tend to incubate their eggs after the last egg is laid. Incubation is about 18 days after the last egg is laid, and a clutch is generally 4-8 eggs. Your hen needs more nutrition even if the egg is infertile because it takes a lot of energy and nutrients to lay eggs and keep her healthy. offer her cooked chopped egg with the crumbled shell for the protein and calcium needs. If the egg is infertile and she has lost interest in it, throw it away. Be sure she lost interest or having the egg taken away prematurely can trigger her to lay more eggs as an instinctual reaction to egg loss due to predators. Have your birds experience daily darkness at night for 10-12 hours a day. They really do need this much rest and longer light periods can trigger more egg laying. have a great day, everyday.

Answer 3

Take the egg and a small flashlight into a dark room like a closet. Shine the flashlight directly on the egg. If you see any red coloration there is a baby inside. If you see solid black with no movement, there was a baby, but it died. If you only see yellow or yellowish pink, the egg was never fertilized, and there is no baby. Give the parent birds lots of fresh green leafy vegetables, and a large shallow bowl to bathe in. Greens will give the mother bird calcium for egg laying, and bathing will allow the mom to regulate the moisture around the egg.

Answer 4

By looking at the eggs your bird has laid, you can sometimes tell whether there is a baby bird developing inside. This process is known as "candling" the eggs. You should candle the eggs about five to seven days after the parents begin sitting on them. Some birds start sitting on their eggs right away. Others start sitting only after some, or all, of the eggs have been laid. Watch to see how much time the parents spend in the nest. This will give you a good idea of whether anyone is sitting on the eggs. Ideally, the parents should have been sitting on the eggs for five days when you candle them. However, if you are trying to candle them at some other time, you can still learn something about what is going on inside the egg.

How to:
http://www.geocities.com/thoronton/eggs.html

Answer 5

uncertain how long it grew to become into from the time it got here to be out of its nest to the time you spotted and stopped to %. it up... if it grew to become into cool once you discovered it, it would desire to be to late. you would be able to "candle" your egg in spite of the indisputable fact that.Eggs are candled to verify the venture of the air cellular, yolk, and white. Candling detects bloody whites, blood spots, or meat spots, and helps commentary of germ progression. Candling is performed in a darkened room with the egg held in the previous a easy. the easy penetrates the egg and makes it available to observe the in the egg. The candler might desire to be set on a field or table classification="smaller" at a handy top (approximately 38 to 40 4 inches from the floor), so the easy won't shine immediately into the eyes of the operator. In candling, the egg is held in a slanting place with the huge end against the hollow interior the candler. The egg is grasped with the help of the small end and, whilst held between the thumb and coaching of the 1st 2 arms, is grew to become immediately to the stunning or left. This strikes the contents of the egg and throws the yolk closer the shell. because of colour of their shells, brown eggs are extra tricky to candle than white eggs... and in case you haven't any longer have been given a candler, a projector or severe beam flashlight will artwork additionally. To do a real looking activity, an in depth know-how of candling isn't needed, extremely if the eggs are all incredibly clean. One might desire to have the flexibility to differentiate a clean egg from a stale egg and hit upon such abnormalities as bloody whites, blood spots, meat spots, and cracked shells. In a clean egg, the air area is it seems that seen and strikes freely. The white is skinny and sparkling. In a stale egg, the air area is it seems that seen and strikes freely. The white is skinny. And to incubate... wow. it extremely is a time customer in case you haven't any longer have been given an incubater. you will possibly desire to cope with the temperature, the humidity, air flow, turning... I wish you success. i wish this helps

Answer 6

well if it has a mate and after 21 days the egg didnt hatch its dead if it hatches by 21 days its alive...hope it helps(i have birds)

Answer 7

if it's warm, it's alive. Keep it warm so it survives.