Egg Sandwich
Posted by Annonmanous on March 27, 2005
Q: I found an egg in my garden and cannot tell whether it is a bird or duck egg, how can i tell the difference? It is approximatley 6cm in height!...Also, if it has been left outside all night will it definately be dead?
A: Take a look at Helen Fitch's question/answer in the unit's Q&A (www.enaturalist.org so you'll better understand about the egg being left untended outside.
From the size of your egg, it sounds as though it could be a duck or even chicken egg but it's very difficult to identify an egg without something to compare it to. You might want to get an egg from the refrigerator and compare it with your "unknown egg" and see how they compare. Duck eggs are often a bit larger than chicken eggs and are also a little more oblong. If you have a way to incubate the egg you may even be able get it to hatch.
Keep in mind that it is common for ducks (maybe chickens too) to drop a few eggs here and there before they establish a nest. If you've had some ducks around your area lately, I'd guess your egg is a duck egg. Good luck.
John Wiessinger ( March 28, 2005)