Take Your Pick
Posted by meagan on April 13, 2005
Q: Can you hatch a robins egg without an incubator. My mom found a birds egg on the ground and we were wondering if you can hatch an egg like that? We curently have the egg wraped in towels in a shoe box under a lamp. If there is any thing else that we should do please. contact me.
Thanks Meagan
A: Dear Meagan, Thanks for being so helpful to our feathered friends! The odds are not good though that you can successfully incubate your robin egg.
The first choice is to see if you can find the nest it came from and put it back in.
Sometimes an egg falls accidentally, or sometimes purposefully dropped by its parents (if it's not viable). Maybe it was an accident so try to return it. If you put it back the parents will remove it if it's necessary. In other words, trust nature in this case.
If you cannot find the nest it came from or need to seek more help my advice is to call your local humane society, nature center or state department of wildlife and inquire if there is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area.
Rehabilitators have all the permits and training to take care of our native wild animals.
Good luck, and thanks for your concern.
Jim Berry
Jim Berry ( April 14, 2005)