I recently took a walk off-trail at Papscanee Island in Rensselaer County, New York, taking advantage of deer trails to find my way through the thick brush. I was startled by an American Robin flushing from directly in front of me, not more than three feet away. A closer look at the location the bird flushed from revealed this:
After quickly taking a couple of pictures while the robin cluck-clucked her displeasure I retreated and waited for a few minutes, guarding against cowbirds, until the robin returned to the nest.
Good luck, egg!
And a question: If I hadn’t seen any robins today but stumbled upon the nest without seeing the robin that had just flown off, and identified the egg as a robin’s, could I count robin on my day-list?
an American Robin on a nest in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
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This post was originally published on 6 May 2007, but we hate to keep posts this good buried in the archives! And remember to keep an eye out – it won’t be long before robins are nesting.
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I found American Robin eggs on the ground not cracked. If you know anything about hatching them please email me back.
@Klarrissa: If they weren’t in a nest, but were just lying on the ground, odds are they’re done for.
I found robin eggs but how do I get them to hatch? I have a light over it. I am a 16 year old. I can’t find incubator
@carlie: Unfortunately, they are not going to hatch…unless you took them directly from the nest which would be illegal and wrong. Like I told Klarissa above if you find them on the ground they have probably gotten too cold to ever hatch…or maybe the parents dumped the eggs when other eggs in the nest hatched.
I have a Robin that recently laid 4 blue eggs that have hatched. The nest is right outside of my back door in a tall bush. We are very excited about this nest. The nest has been in this location since last year. The Robin laid 3 blue eggs last year. Those eggs did not hatch she moved two of the eggs and left one which eventually turned grey. However, the nest remained in the same place. The Robin used the same nest this year by adding more straw, etc. to the old nest. I am going to try and take daily pictures to see their growth.
Hey are you sure they wont hatch because i think mine is still alive. i found it yesterday outside in the grass and i’ve been keeping it warm. is there anything i can do?
i am in canada and i found 2 blue robin eggs i was wondering if someone can tell me how to hatch them
About two days ago I had found a robin nest with one egg in my parents bedroom windowsill and for the past two days the mother has been laying eggs daily. They are so cute I love to look at them but when me and my parents enter the mother gets scared and flies away do you know how I can prevent that?
how can you keep a egg warm without a light or is it impossible?
@Jostra: My advice would be to leave the light in the room off and move slowly and carefully into the room, without making sudden moves or loud noises. If the presence of people consistently drive the bird off the nest please cover the window with a blind or a shade and let the bird be.
@traylen: I suppose you could try sitting on it. 🙂 But seriously, I have no idea how else one could keep an egg warm without a mother bird.
hi i found a a nest with three robin eggs on the grouund what do i do
@Kassidy: Odds are it is too late to do anything. I suppose you could try to put it back in the bush/tree it fell from.
the branches are too high to reach can i do anything for the eggs.
I found a robins egg laying on the ground not cracked. It wasn’t there five minutes before I was outside. Another one was laying on the ground but was cracked and you could tell it hadn’t been there long. The inner egg was ooging out. How does this come about, an egg or more on the ground. Did the mother lay them on purpose there or did she misjudge getting to the nest on time? Also is it possible that she knew that they were unhealthy eggs? Does anyone know the answer?
@Diane: Odds are a predator snagged the eggs from the nest and dropped them. Laying an egg is not like going to the bathroom: a bird is not going to misjudge the time needed to get to the nest.
Yesterday I found a freshly laid egg in my hanging flower basket. I brought the flowers in to stay warm without realizing it was there until today. I set the flowers back out today and now I brought them in again tonight. Is it possible the egg will live? I have a birds nest that a bird had created last year in the same basket. Will that help?
@alexis: I have no idea if the egg will live. Without the care of a parent bird I doubt it. A nest won’t help unless there is a parent to care for the egg.
Thanks for that information. I did not know that.
a friend saw a branch fall from a tree and discovered 2 robin eggs in a nest and gave them to me i’m keeping them in a nest of cotton a little over them w/ a lamp and damp cotton near for humidity, is it possible they’ll hatch? it took my friend a night to get them to me does that mean its too late
@Diane: No problem!
@sara: It is not very likely that you will get the eggs to hatch, and, even if you did, are you really up for feeding the baby birds non-stop for weeks? Odds are that the adult robins have already started on a new nest so don’t worry too much about if the eggs you have hatch or not.
Uhh, I had robins on my balcony last year and everything was fine. In the winter when they all left the nest it blew away. Now they came back and built a new nest, (it’s the same robins, I can tell). I put a birdfeeder outside near the nest about a day before they finished the nest (not because they were there).
Recently there’s been alot of squirrels and grackles outside eating the food, I’ve tried to shoo them away so the littler “good” birds can eat it, but I haven’t seen the robins since they finished the nest.
I think they may of left cause of all the traffic.
Today I found a robin egg on the ground, so I took it inside till it was warm and I went out back and put it in the nest. I doubt this is the same egg and I also doubt it’s still alive, but do you think the robins will come back to the nest if they see it?
Also, should I take the birdfeeder away?
@Jazz: Odds are the robins abandoned the nest because what had been a nice quiet balcony suddenly became flooded with nest-predators (both squirrels and grackles will raid nests and eat eggs and nestlings). So, yes, if you want the chance of robins nesting on your balcony then you should take the feeder down.
I do not think robins will come back to the nest because an egg is in it. My bet is that once they abandoned the nest they went elsewhere and made a new one.
And, if I may ask a question of you…how do you know that they are the same robins as last year?
how long does it take for a robin egg to hatch?
I just found a robin egg on the ground. The egg has no crack in it. And, there is no tree near by. Is it natures way for it not to survive? Or is there anyway i can help this bird? I really want to try to save it’s life. Please respond asap! Thanks!
@Nicole: Google “American Robin” and you will find your answer.
@Olivia: The egg is most likely done for. You can try to keep it warm but unless you think you are up for feeding a baby bird for a month after it hatches (if it hatches) you shouldn’t even try. There are plenty of robins and one more or less isn’t going to hurt.
Thanks for your help.
We have a robin’s nest and I’ve been monitoring it for about a week and a half. She laid about an egg a day until there were four eggs, then suddenly one was gone. The next day only one was left. I saw nothing on the ground around the nest. I’m thinking a predator, but wouldn’t they eat all the eggs?
how long does it take for a robin to hatch?
@Olivia: No problem.
@Elizabeth: If you’ve ever left food on your plate you would know how a predator feels. Sometimes you just can’t eat everything that’s available!
@alexandra: 12-14 days.
Well, you see, the robins last year had a few features that were pretty easy to recognize, it’s hard to explain. The mother bird looked a bit “ugly” might I say and also she had a tan-colored spot on one of her eyes.
Update: I’ve noticed that an old abandoned sparrow’s nest from last year (near the robin’s nest) is getting bigger, and yesterday I saw a robin fly up there, so I’m not really sure now.
Thanks for the info by the way.
I found a robin’s egg on the ground and located the nest. I thought I felt slight movement in the egg in my palm when I stayed still for a few minutes. I rinsed it gently, lukewarm and put it back in the nest. I hope it’s okay, I wanted your opinion on how I handled things. …at the very least I gave it a second chance if it was indeed alive.
Well, a robin built her nest out on a ledge where my mother had her climbing roses near our front door and aside from her freaking out whenever we left the house during the day everything was fine. Pretty soon she had laid four eggs in the nest and my dad told us not to bother him. So for once we listened and left the eggs alone but one day my mom came home from work and she said she didn’t see the bird out there. Later that night we checked and she still wasn’t around so we decided to wait and see if she had gone for good. Noon the next day and still no birdie, she was probably eaten by one of the many neighborhood cats. . . They were in the nest the whole time and now they’re under a light in my room. Can they still make it after being without the mother for a day and a half?
@Jazz: Thanks for the explanation and good luck!
@Tiffany: It was certainly a good deed to put the egg back in the nest. Washing it off was probably unnecessary but I doubt you did any harm. Let us know if you see nestlings or fledglings please…
@Loki: I am certainly not expert on such things but if the eggs hatch (which, in my non-expert opinion, is unlikely after at least a day and a half without care) you will EXTREMELY busy trying to feed four baby birds. If I were in your position I would google search for a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area and ask them for advice should the unlikely happen and the eggs hatch. Good luck and let us hear how things work out.
I have found a few robins eggs in a nearby yard (nearly run over by lawnmower) I have kept them heated but after a few days they turned gray, is that bad?
@John: Odds are they were already done for when you found them (on the ground). The fact that they have turned gray means that they are certainly dead.
yesterday when i was walking my dog i found a little robin egg on the ground. It had no cracks at all, and it was still pretty warm. I looked around but i didnt see any nests around, so i brought it home. I put it in a nest that i found last year in my yard wrapped in paper towels under a light. But the light isnt directly upon it, because i didnt want to cook the egg. And last night a left the light off, first off because i didnt want to burn my house down, and second because it must get cold at night outside. was that the wrong thing to do? is the egg going to live? how long does it take to hatch? aww i feel bad.
A robin built a nest in my wreath on my front door. I’ve been watching the activity for the last 4 weeks. noticed baby birds in the nest. looked closer and saw 4 large baby birds. got my camera to take a picture and when I snapped the pic one of the baby birds flew/fell out of the nest to the ground. I put gloves on and attempted to put it back in the nest but it would not stay. it kept jumping out of nest so I just left it alone. i noticed the parent robin staying close to it on the ground and also noticed that she has not been back on the nest with the other 3 birds since the one fell. will she stay with the one on the ground or go back to care for the 3 left in the nest or both?
Hi-I had a robin lay 5 eggs in a nest in my hanging fern on my porch. Yesterday we saw at least 4 birds making noises and nose dives for the nest. But then we saw the mother sitting on the nest. Today the nest was abandoned with only 1 egg in it. There wasn’t any sign of ooz or shells from the other eggs…could the other birds have eaten the 4 eggs? Could it have been a snake? Why would a predator leave one egg? And would the mother not still stay with the last egg? Any input would be appreciated. My children and I feel like we have quite a mystery.
I had three eggs that I have been watching and two of them got ate.One of them are hatching are the beak is sticking out. After the beak is sticking out how long till they fully hatch.Help please Im only 11.
The egg isn’t dead whenever you find the mother not being in it. She is probably out of the nest, finding food to build up its energy.
@Taylor: Once you find an egg on the ground the odds are that it is already dead or will die no matter what you do. So don’t worry about it.
@Nancy: I don’t know what the mother robin will do. Hopefully, all four youngsters will survive.
@Ellen: Many predators will take eggs if they have the chance. It might have been one of quite a few bird species, a snake, or a host of other creatures. And the predator could have gotten full or been startled before it finished all of the eggs (or the robin could have started laying again, in which case she probably wouldn’t incubate full time until she was done laying).
@Hogan: I’m sure that you have already figured this out by now but once the young start hatching the process gets done pretty quickly.
@Lauren: I don’t think anyone implied that.
We have a nest of 4 robin eggs. One egg hatch a week ago and other 3 nothing. How can you tell if the eggs are dead? Will the mother dump them out?
@Lynn: If they don’t hatch soon I imagine they won’t. But don’t interfere, of course, let nature take its course.
We had a nest outside our window in a bush for the last 2 weeks. The mother robin has been sitting on the 4 eggs diligently. Today we left home for a few hours and we we came back–no eggs or mother. What could have happened. We were hoping to see baby birds any day.
@Andrea: Odds are a predator got to the eggs and with the eggs gone there is no reason for the robin to stick around.
in my backyard, on my swing set, i found a robin nest with 3 hatched babies in it. There was also one unhatched egg. How do i know if it’s still alive or not? and i heard before that if there was too many babies in the nest then the mom will push them out. Is that true? and if it is than what should i do?
@Sarah: If the egg doesn’t hatch for several days you’ll know it is not a viable egg.
I have never heard of a robin pushing out a nestling. If it did happen you don’t have to do anything, just let nature take its course.
Hi…I know absolutely nothing about birds, but there is a bright red bird that has now twice built a nest in a fairly low bush in my backyard. I assume it is a red Robin because this year the eggs are small and white with brown speckles. Anyway, last year we never knew it was there until we found two tiny dead birds in our yard and one that the dog brought in our house. The nest was still intact, but the birds had fallen out somehow. I assume our dogs jumped on the bush when they heard the chirping and knocked that out because they all looked newly hatched. Now the Robins(?) have built another nest in the same bush and I’m afraid it will happen again. I have 8 dogs who play in the back and there are cats that roam the neighborhood in the front. I was wondering if the mother would reject them if I moved the nest to a safer place in our backyard that the dogs can’t reach. Otherwise…I am certain these little guys are doomed to the same fate as the last ones. Thanks for your help.
I have a robins nest in an apple tree the sprinklers are off it now but it was bothering her a bit the 3 eggs are my favourite things but one went missing magpies are common around, how can i help her i fell like i have to save them how!
@Lauri: A bright red bird would not really describe a robin (unless you are in Europe). Maybe a cardinal? And moving the nest might work but it might not. It is technically illegal to mess about with a bird’s nest in the U.S. but it seems that you are trying to save the birds…
@Sarah: Just let nature take its course. It is not your job nor your responsibility to make sure that robin eggs hatch and if you try to stop magpies from getting te eggs you might be dooming young magpies to going hungry!
I have a robins nest outside under my porch. I’ve noticed that the mother disappears at night. Why does the mother leave the nest at night? They have been there for a week, and I saw 4 eggs.
@James: I have no idea.
If you google American Robins, you can find very detailed information. Cardinals are bright red and lay white eggs with brownish spots. As to all the people who are asking about messing with the eggs and nests, etc, I highly recommend leaving it all alone. It is a general rule in nature (in the wild) that if you mess with the young, the parents reject it after that. Often birds or wild animals will not go back to their young after a human has contact with them, which leaves the babies helpless. Also, about all the questions where you don’t see the mother return, we have a Robin’s next right by our front door. Any time anyone walks near it, the mother leaves the nest and hides. She knows we aren’t messing with her babies, so she doesn’t feel we are a threat. Sometimes if we look around long enough, we can spot her hiding under a bush, up in a tree, or way up on the roof. However, she never returns to the nest while we are around. As soon as we leave, she goes back and tends to her babies. Again, I highly recommend leaving nests/babies/eggs alone and searching the internet as opposed to asking in here about things.
@SF: We here at 10,000 Birds agree that folks should leave nests, eggs, and young birds alone, as my answers indicate. However, the idea that birds reject young or eggs after they have been handled is an old wife’s tale that needs to be stamped out. The reason to leave nests/eggs/young alone is because it is the right thing to do.
I am so angry with myself!! I cut down a large bush that was in my front yard today. While I was trying to cut it into smaller pieces I noticed a nest. After further inspection I noticed that something was alive in it! My heart commpletely sank and I tried to free the nest from the fallen bush. When I freed the nest, there were 3 baby Robins in there! Fortunatley I was able to take the nest and place it in a nearby tree. I believe the mother saw me because she eventually flew over to the new location! I have read that Robins abandon the nest if it’s location is chaged. Do you think because the mother Robin located the nest and new location that these babies have a chance? My fiance and I feel terrible.
@Chris: I think that if the mother has found the new nest location all should be fine. You might want to keep an eye out (from a distance) and see if both parents are still feeding the young, and it might not hurt to make sure that the nest is firmly attached in its new location (it would suck to go to all that trouble to discover the nest blown down after a windstorm!). And don’t beat yourself up about the situation…you meant no harm, you have tried to mitigate the harm you did do, and there are lots of robins!
I found a robins egg and I contacted a Wildlife center and they said to check if its still alive you should go in a dark room and shine a flashlight under it and see if it is moving or has a ring of blood around it. If it has blood then its dead. But if it might be alive then you should try to keep it at about 80 degrees. I am using a heating pad on low and a thermomater. If it hatches than you should take it to a wildlife center. I used a place called Lindsey Wildlife Center. They won’t take some birds like blackbirds, though, because they aren’t native and harm environments. Some of the volunteers will take them home personaly though, so you might try it.
i 2 days ago there was a small american robin nest in my backyard it grew bigger over 2 nights but i never saw the mother finally i saw the mother robin sitting on the nest when she got off that evening i checked the nest there was 1 egg the next day there was a total of 2 eggs the mother took great care of them also in the tree next to it there was a cardnial nest with 2 eggs in it the mother took great care of that too in the next few days i went up 2 check both nests all of the eggs were gone in the cardnial nest and there was only 1 left in the robin nest the mom hasnt come back in 2 days what should i do i put gloves on and looked in side the egg i see the embryo and i might see veins i really dont know wut they look like can you describe them? i think and hope it is alive what should i do what could have happened to both the parents and 3 of the 4 eggs? i havent seen the parents or any eggs or egg shells scence. ps the last egg left is blue not grey at all
@carley: it was most likely a predator. You should do nothing because even if the egg is viable getting it to hatch is difficult and then raising a baby bird more work than you can imagine. There are plenty of robins and cardinals out there and one more or less won’t hurt the species as a whole. Also, it is against federal law to mess with a migratory bird’s eggs or nest.
I( have a robin’s nest in my back yard. The Ronbins use the sam,e nest every year. I think it might be the baby birds form the year prior coming back. Anyway, I have never had a problem with losing any eggs to predators or the parents suddnenly disappearing and leaving the little eggs to get cold and not hatch. but I can tell you, I watch the Robin parents take care of their 4 nestlings. The two of them spent ALL DAY flying around getting food for them. The birds were eating literally every 15 minutes or so. ALL. DAY. LONG. Not only that but I had no idea how the nest was being kept clean. I mean they have to poop someplace right? Apparently, like all babies, mom (or dad), cleans their little butts. The baby birds would stick their butts in the air and squeeze out a poop which the mom/dad would grab with their beak and fly away with it. I guess they had a place they’d go to drop it.
At anyrate – taking care of even one little bird would be a ton of work. I’d leave it alone. You could make matters worse or add to the poor little things suffering because it would die slowly and not quickly at the hands of a predator. Put it back in it’s nest or if the nest is abandoned, let it be. Survival of the fittest…
Im 11 years old and there was recently had a wind storm and the bird egg fell out off the nest.I have been keeping it under a light and turning it every day.When i hold it up to a light i can see the shadow of the bird.I think its alive but is there any other way to tell if it is?
@Angela: If it hatches you will know. Seriously though, it probably is not alive and if it is you have a ton of work ahead of you trying to keep a voracious young bird alive.
What does voracious mean?
I removed a robin’s nest in the corner of my back deck after the babies hatched and flew away. When I looked a week later there was a new nest made in exactly the same spot. Could it be the same mother robin that built the new nest?
@Angela: Look it up.
@Nancy: Yes, yes it could be. It could also be a different bird, but it does seem more likely to be the same one.
Two weeks ago we discovered a Robins nest under our patio umbrella. Something that appeared only a few days prior. The nest is very well protected by the male and female Robin. One sits on the pool fence while the other is sitting in the nest. The other day, a Blue Jay was heading towards the nest when out of nowhere, two Robins attack it. It was amazing to watch these birds protect their own.
Since the nest is high inside the umbrella we can’t see if eggs have yet been hatched. How long does the process of laying the eggs and hatching take?
@Jennifer: It takes about a month from laying to fledging.
Thanks Corey. I guess the nest was there a little longer than I thought. Three little chicks popped their heads up this morning. So cute.
I found a singular robin’s egg today. There was no nest in the tree above it. How do you think the egg got there?
It probably flew…
Seriously though, in all likelihood a predator that stole the egg probably dropped it.
How long does it take a robin’s egg to hatch after it breaks through initially? I know it takes 12-14 days to hatch.
@Christi: Not very long, probably a matter of hours at most.
Thank you Corey.
Hi, we’ve had a robin’s nest in our grill since the spring. At first there were 2 eggs in it, but we accidentally left the grill up and had a soaking rain, and later found the 2 eggs on the ground. We didn’t know if the mother decided they were ‘contaminated’ by us or what. Anyway, we’ve had 4 eggs in the same next, still in the grill for about 3 weeks to a month. We’ve obviously been unable to use the grill because I want to let the little guys have a chance – is it too late? From the previous postings it seems like it only takes about 2 weeks. The mother still goes to check on them, because when I open the back door, she flies away. What should I do?
@Angie: If all four eggs have been in the grill for 3 weeks to a month than I would imagine that they are done for. They should, as you mentioned, hatch within two weeks. Looks like these are some seriously unlucky robin parents! I would say that if you don’t have urgent 4th of July barbecue plans to give them another day or two just in case you miscounted the number of weeks but I wouldn’t feel bad, were I you, in just going ahead and cleaning out the nest.
And, just as a point of information, robins will not toss eggs because of a fear of contamination from people: most likely they were recognized as not viable after being inundated (or a predator might have moved them).
Good – I was starting to take their failure to hatch personally! I’ll give them another week. Thanks for the info.!
I’m sure you’re tired of repeating yourself with the answers to “I found a robin’s egg. . . ” But… this morning I found a robin’s egg that was whole. There is absolutely no nest around, it wasn’t their earlier and I actually think the snotty neighbor kid removed it from where ever he found it, as last week he was caught tossing the eggs in his yard.
I’ve kept the robin’s egg outside most the day since it was hot but as night grew it got colder so I brought it inside and have placed it on my laptop’s battery charger which gets pretty warm and turning it over every 45 mins. Just a few minutes ago, it moved from it’s pretty secure space. Not the first time but when it happened earlier I figured I bumped it. But when it occurred a third time I am thinking I may have a bird on my hands sometime soon.
I’ve got a number and address for a wildlife rehabber that is 3 hours away, I will call tomorrow or call the local Park Authority to see if they have any ideas but until that time is there anything more I should do aside from keeping it warm and turning it over?
We found a robin’s nest in a flower pot in the back yard, and now 2 of 3 egs have hatched. I expect the 3rd to hatch any day now, but it’s been 2 days since the 1st 2 hatched. Two questions: will the 3rd hatch or is it too late? Where do the egg shells go after the baby hatches? I’ve been watching them closely and there are no shells in the nest or on the ground.
@Jeff: Robin eggs usually hatch around the same time so if it goes much longer I would say it is highly unlikely that the third egg will hatch. Egg shells are usually, so far as I know, eaten. This helps keep the nest camoflauged and provides much-needed calcium.
we just bought a tree and just found a nest with 2 robin eggs in it, about 1 minute ago (7:47 pm) i used all the info from above. (in a bowl with cotton and wet cotton for humidity and a lamp over it) Im almost positive that it is still very alive, but how would i take care of it without an incubator??
@Mickey: Good question…I would try to find and contact a wildlife rehabilitator in your area.
i am stupid
@Mickey: Not sure why you would say that but good luck with the eggs!
I know little about birds, but I just happened across a nest under my deck and found a small gray bird in it. While I was looking at it it took off like a rocket leaving behind 4 babies. The babies appear just hatched, little fuzz and pink. Will the mom return? How long can the babies survive without her? ANything I can do?
@BRad: Just leave the nest alone and the mother should return.
It took A few hours but the Mom did return :-), although the babies weren’t moving much. Guess I will look for a new work bench for the next few weeks. Good location for the bird, bad location for me!
Another nest appeared under my umbrella after the three baby robins left July 5. Before leaving, one of the babies came to say goodbye. Flew, for the first time, right over to where I was standing. It allowed me to take a picture with him. I would like to share it with this site, but can’t figure out how to post it.
I have not seen the mother in quite a while for the new nest. Tonight I took a picture to see if there were eggs in the nest and it appears to be four robins eggs. I observed the last robins nest very carefully, and you were well aware of their parents presence. What will happen to these babies if the mother does not return? What can I do to protect them and nurture them once they hatch?
Thanks
Jenn
OMG I have a bell at the motel we own and one year my mom and dad at winter knocked it down and then another Robin made a nest and whenever we went to it she never flew away I got time to know her and I sat down for a couple of hours everyday so that she would know that I wasnt going to hurt her eggs and know she left about a year ago but I do see new parents this year
hey i fond a robin egg today it wasnt there when i walked my firs dog but when i came back 5-6 mins later my dog found it and tried to eat it the egg was warm so i brought inside to show my parents we hav it warm and humid. will the egg live?
Hi. today i found a robins nest in my tree. there are 3 eggs. the mothers is still there. im guessing that the eggs will hatch in around 10 to 14 days. am i correct? also, i have a cat who spends much time outside. im afraid she will attack the mother or eat the eggs. but i don’t think so because the nest is high in my giant willow tree. my cat is a good climber but the limb the nest is on has no branches for her to balance on and the limb goes straight up so it would be hard to climb anyways. should i just not worrie about it,moniter my cat outside, or not let her out?? thanks. im hoping to see some baby robins chirping in my tree soon. 🙂
i found some eggs on a nature trail on the ground, i walk the nature trail every day, they weren’t there the day before. i took them in because i couldn’t find the nest. how do i tell if there still alive inside and is there a way i could tell how much longer. there are unfortunately 1 of the eggs had a small crack and on my way back to the house it became bigger and i was told it was to late, was he right?
me and my friend found a robin egg this morning in my friend’s yard and not cracked…Reacheal (my friend) put it in her room under a heater then she brought it to school becuase her mom and brother were going through her room and she didnt want it cracked…anyway after school i took it home put it in a handmade nest and i put it under my lamp for some warmth…also i put it up to the light and saw somthing inside…im guessing its the bird..but how do i know if its still alive? and i doing the right thing? and how warm does the temperature need to be? Im 13 and all i want to do is to keep it safe and watch it fly away in the future 🙂
I know this is kind of a dumb question because I already know the answer but would appreciate any input I can get for the moment. Hello, my name is Kalie, I have just recently found a birds egg in my yard (lil egg, lite blue, brown specales all over it) and am trying to nurish it hopeful that it is still alive. Funny thing is birds die if they are away from the nest while still in their egg. I was going to leave it there but I had a strong feeling that it was still alive. I went into the house, lit a candle and I saw the form of a lil bird and it was moving! THERES HOPE! So far I put it in in my bossom to keep it warm then put it into a box with confeti paper like material and have kept a 40watt light on it 6in from the bird. I am new to this and hoping it will live. Now, the question, do you think it is possible to keep it alive? And if it does grow and hatch I myself will chew the worms and feed it (ok maybe now eat them, I’ll squish them) to help it grow. Thank you for taking the time to read my extremly long note!
@All: Please read previous comments about the likelihood of getting a found egg to hatch and raising the bird to when it could take off (highly unlikely).
Well, i will still hope, even if it is highly unlikely..
@Kristie: I wish you the best of luck. Let us know how it works out…
merci pour notre contole
thanks..i noticed a small black dot inside the egg and the next morning it was a small ring with faint lines connected to the ring..My guess that they are Veins..Can someone tell me what there guess might be?
I have a Robins nest on the light fixture by my front door with 4 eggs. Two of them hatched this morning. I saw them both at 8 am. There are still 2 unhatched egges. At 8.45 i noticed that one baby chick was on the floor. What happened?
(I put in the comment earlier with the wrong e mail address)
Hi,
my son took a robins egg from a nest of 3. We put the eggs back after i wiped it down so hopefully there will be no scent. My question is will the mother come back and take care of the egg my son touched. There is 3 total in the nest. Please let me know. I dont want the poor baby egg to die!
Hello, We have a robin that has a nest in a tree right outside our kitchen. We noticed today when we got home that something had knocked it over but is still in the tree and has 3 eggs in it, we pushed it back into place but the mother has not come back to her nest yet. We were wondering if she will or not and if not do we try and warm the eggs or let nature be nature?
i found one egg and i dont now what to do help me
how many days does it take to hatch it
What if the robin’s egg do not hatch in the required 14 days?
i found an egg on the grass it was pretty cold but i took it home and i covered it in some rags but im not sure that it is still growing. what should i do.
Hi, recently I spotted a robins nest in a bush by my porch. the problem is that my mom goes out there to smoke but not she goes to my other porch because she dosent want the mother robin to abandon the nest. i live in the mountains and 2 days ago it was snowy(and its april!, crazy!) do you think that the mother abandoned the nest because of the coldness?
A bird got into my upstairs bathroom where my cat then attacked it. We managed to get the bird to fly out of the window, but I know it was badly hurt, I’m not even sure if it survived. The next day we found the whole and covered it,is was where the dryer hose fell out. When we went to throw out the dryer hose we realized that there was a nest with five eggs in it! So I then unblocked the hole and secures the hose back onto the vent (hole). If the mom survived the eggs went a whole day without its mom, do you think she will come back and if so will the eggs even hatch?
Hi,
I live in Ontario, Canada and we had a robins nest on our deck for the past few weeks. This morning there were 3 babies that were born, and one egg that was ready to hatch. I went outside to hang laundry on the line, and thought I would check to see if the other egg had hatched however everything was gone from the nest. The male bird has been at the nest, but have not seen the mother return. Is it possible that the mother could have moved her young to a different nest, or is it the fact that a predator of some sort would have taken them?
hi today about30 minutes ago i found 2 baby robins in a abandond nest. one is clear blue like the pic on top of this page and one is blue with gray spots i dont think that one will survive. 🙁 though i got a blow dryer and warmed them up. ther much warmer. what do i do next please help me… and is the second egg have a chance of living please help me. i plan to feed so i cand donate to a pet store or keep it i need to give it a goood home please help me i love animals please help. thank you
i hate my brother hes visiting from florida. i let my nest in a warm bathroom and he went inside it guess what he did to it? he cracked it >:-( i hate him hey at least that was the one that had grey spots im so glad it was that one. the good part is that i looked at the yoke and toda it wasnt fertilized thank god. but please e mail me i need to know if i m dooooing the right thing. i keep on going back every hour and blow fry it so it doesnt get cold please help
i found a nest outside my house and there were three eggs well one day i went to check on them and one was on the ground for a while the mom was coming back regularly but i thhink someone touched the eggs she no longer was coming back for them the egg that fell is lighter blue the the rest of them how do u no if they will hatch
I have a robin nest outside in my shed and my cat chased away the mother what do i do can i try to hatch it
Hey, I been keeping 3 eggs in my house and it’s been 4 days now and they still smell good and they aren’t gray although 1 has a crack in it but it did not go far some gooey yolk came out but then 2 seconds later it stop. I am pretty sure that are alive still. Also, how do you see if they are alive?
They r robin eggs btw
Hello, I have a nest in my hanging flower basket and there is only one baby that has made it. It is probable about 8 days old. Both parents have been attending the nest but last night the mother did not come to the nest and today she has not been to the nest. The Father has been bringing it food. What could be the reason for her not returning and does the baby have a chance now?
this morning my 5yr old found a little blue egg( which i thought was made of glass) where there were no trees, along side the curb on our way to the bus stop. she picked it up to check for cracks, none but ice cold. when the bus came she handed to me.my hand was warming it up and it twitched then it moved like a jumping bean.i put it in a doll blanket with a heating pad under it in a box. then using an extention cord i taped a night light above it.almost 12hrs have passed and it still moves now and then. what are my chances of this egg hatching? if it does hatch i plan on calling wild life rescue.
i found i have it in a old tank i donnt know what to do i have a heat lamp over them
I have a new house, since Dec, and I know the nest up above my porch is a Robins, as I have seen blue eggs shells on the ground. these bird or their enemies have covered my porch and door with poop. I am not against these birds, but do not want them to live above my porch and poop in my plants, etc. How do I get rid of them without killing them?
@Everyone: If you need help with rescued birds/eggs please go to this page:
http://10000birds.com/wild-bird-rescue-101.htm
Thanks!
hi my brother and i have been watching over 4 robins eggs for about a week, then it diaspearred a yesterday. 2 days ago there was a storm, would that affect the eggs diaspperance? i know that the eggs were prob eaten, but could antthing else happen? poor eggs…
I’ve really been finding alot of Robin’s eggs on the ground…whole…no nest in sight. I was wondering if they just lay them where they are if the pain strikes them. Now after reading the comments I see that others are finding this as well. I’m keeping a closer eye on the Robins from now on…
i found a birds nest on the ground with an egg by it i picked it up and asked my family if i could hatch it they all said no but i want another apioyn please i am 9 years old i really need your help if i put it back in the nest in a tree will the mother come back to hatch it or if she dosent will a racoon eat it we have a lot of them i saw a robbin hanging around where i fornd the egg shes just looking around as if she is looking for an egg need help.
This morning I watered one of the hanging baskets out on my front porch… when out flew a robin who proceeded to chirp at me from the rain gutter above. Startled I stopped watering and climbed up on a ladder and found that the robin had built a nest and laid 3 eggs in it. The eggs did not appear to be wet, but I haven’t seen the mother return. I hope she will return, is there anything I can do to save them if she doesn’t return? And di I carefully water the plant or let is die off? My first concern are the bird & eggs of course, but can I save both?
knever mind it died sad 🙁
On Sunday May 23 3 baby robins were hatched in a nest in our Weeping Cherry tree. I took some quick pictures of them and we watched from a distance the rest of the day and Monday. Tues I was able to grab another quick pic. They were growing so fast and were abosutely adorable. Mom and dad tolerated the quick interuptions for pics and continued to nest and care for the babies. Last night we had a very sever T storm with heavy winds. I went to check on the nest and babies today and the babies are GONE! I looked all over thinking maybe the wind blew the babies out, but the nest is stil in the same condition as it was before the storm. I would think if the wind was strong enough to blow the babies out the nest would have been moved or damaged too some how and it isn’t. What happened to the babies? I don’t see the parents around either. Could the parents somehow have moved them? I am so sad the little ones are gone. This was our first Robin Family to hatch babies in our yard and we were so excited.
my nephew found a nest and it had 5 robin eggs and hes only 5 and he didnt know no better and him and his friend took them out of the nest and now i have one will it ever hatch????? if it cn still hatch how can i keep it warm?
My family discovered a nest right on the wheel well of my dads truck and it has been there for a few weeks now. But he now needs to drive it. My dad attempted to put the nest on the ground for the mother to find, but she couldn’t find it. When we moved it back, a raven had discovered it and ate 1 out of the 4 eggs… I took the nest and it is sitting in my porch. Should I put it in another tree around the yard and let things take its course, or try to raise them?
I have a robin’s nest outside my window. I’ve been watching it for several weeks, and Thursday two of the three eggs hatched. Today, a small tree snake crawled up into the nest and began to eat one of the chicks. My dad climbed up in a ladder and removed the snake and we were able to save the second chick. We removed the first chick from the snake’s mouth, and put it back in the nest (though it wasn’t moving). The mother bird eventually returned to the nest and she hasn’t thrown away the carcass. She seemed to have cleaned it off (as it got a little dirty from all the excitement) I’m 98% sure that the chick is dead, but is there any chance that it could live?
…..never mind. they all died. thanks for replying to my question.
not.
@Jasmin: Had you looked just a couple of comments up you would have seen this:
http://10000birds.com/wild-bird-rescue-101.htm
I’m sorry the robins died…
Ok we had a family of robins in a tree in front of our window outside and they hatched and lived now today two of the baby birds and the mother was gone and then later today we think we saw them two little robins and the mom were flying and sat on our other tree, but the other baby is still Aline in the nest. We noticed that while in the nest the oter two would sit on top of the one. Why is he being left out? Will the mother come back or can we save it some how?And why did the mom leave them?? Help please I feel bad for the little loner:(
The bird is standing now wish him luck he can take flight haha. He probably just wasn’t ready. And the other robins were kind of waiting for him too! 🙂
A robin built a nest in my front door wreath. There are two blue eggs in there. They have been there for over 2 weeks. Will they hatch? I have not touched the nest.
I found a robin egg on the ground… It was just laying there! I have NO idea what to do!!! I even looked for a tree above it to see if I could put it back in it’s nest. (There was no tree!) It is a robin egg and the closest nest to it is a cardnal nest!!! Do u know how to hatch it? If u do, can u help me? Right now it is in the garage under a light bulb!!!
Hi! I have 7 robins eggs in my deck. Two of them have eggs, one has one egg, the other has at least four. A robin has been sitting on the nest with four daily…………for weeks. I didn’t realize they hatch in two weeks………..so, why does she stay? Will they ever hatch? I know she is there as we let the dog out the back door and she sits and watches us or flies away and comes right back.
I Have two Robin eggs its been 14 days seen they were laid . If they dont hatch are they dead?I have them in a blanket, I had found them in the ground what should I do now?
We built an elevated deck last fall and this spring a robin pair built a nest and has four babies in there. How long will they be in there before they fly away? We need to paint and stain the deck in about a month (the babies are already several weeks old–funny how they look kind of like old men sitting in there together, a rather weary look).
Hello,
Yesterday my son found a Robin’s egg. The other one was on the ground and well, not a pretty sight. I however brought in the last egg and put the egg in a facecloth and in a bowl. I put an overhead light as to attempt to hatch it. We have no idea how old the egg is or how long it was there on the ground. There was no nest to be found.
Well, keeping the heat and turning the egg continously since yesterday and today..we see an opening in the egg. It is looking like we have ourselves a baby Robin making an entrance..Wish us luck.
i have a robin nest in my tree making all kinds of sounds.its only one egg .
how long can a baby robin egg be in the cold?
Hello,
i had found a robin egg in my back yard yesturday and i hurryied imside and wraped it in a blanket and stuck it under a lamp…the egg is still bright blue! I was wondering is it still alive and will it hatch?
Plz awnser and thank you for your help
I was outside feeding my fish about five minutes, i went back in for more food, and when i came back out there was an egg in the pond! It wasn’t cracked, so i quickly took it inside and used the blow dryer to dry it and keep it warm. my brother used to have a lizard that needed a special heat light all the time so i have that over my little egg. its been two days and when i picked it up today i felt movement! does that mean this little egg may survive? note: it is in an old, small nest i made myself with cotto and straw and stuff so i think thats okay… Do you think it might hatch?
It is not impossible to hatch a robin egg, I’ve done it before. If you find one, bring it inside and put it under a light. Using this speacial light I have I can shine it through and see if there is a baby bird in the making, if there is you need to keep the egg in constatn warmth (incubator,lizard light…) and rotate it every two hours. Also, make sure to put a spritz (a VERY little amount) of water in the nest with a pinch (a VERY small amount) of soil. Why? Because this gives the egg(s) nutrints to help them survive inside. Also, if it does hatch, it needs feeding every two hours, it’s best to call a speacialist… And one more thing, never,EVER put it in the direct light, you do not want it to cook!
We had a storm a couple of hours ago and the wind picked up pretty good. I went outside after the storm and was walking around and found a nest lying on the ground under a walnut tree. It had a little robin egg beside it. I brought it in and warmed up a heat wrap and put it inside the wrap. I was just wondering, do you think it might survive and if it does, what do I do if it does hatch? What do I feed it and how often do I feed it?
@Kerri (and everyone): Our best advice on dealing with wild birds is here: http://10000birds.com/wild-bird-rescue-101.htm
I was in my backyard yesterday and noticed a birds nest, there were no eggs in it until today. The mama (robin) bird was sitting on her eggs keeping them warm, but when I went into my backyard to see if the eggs were ok…I think I might have scared the mama bird because she flew off and hasn’t returned for 6 hours. After 2 hours I wanted to bring the eggs inside to keep them warm, but I waited a little longer just in case the mama bird came back. After 6 hours I was almost positive that the mother had abandoned the nest, so I brought the eggs inside. Do you think the eggs will still hatch even without their mothers warmth (It was a really warm day and the sun was directly on the eggs) for 6 hours?
hey i found eggs laying on the ground about 4 of them .it was lying around this tree there was no nest or anything . and my dad was planting he accidentally step on one but there are three more so i brought it in my house how do i support it ?? uhhm is it so pose to lay in a posion ?
We have been watching a robin, her nest, and 4 eggs for a couple weeks. The nest is in our front rose bush right near the house. They (3 of the 4) hatched this morning. My girlfriend saw them as she left for work. When I awoke 2 hours later the bush was mangled, the nest slightly injured and the 3 chicks on the concrete below still slightly moving. I used to big leaves to scoop them back to the nest. Now mother bird is back and sitting on the nest. Think it will help? I sure hope so!
nope, momma sat w/ ’em for an hour and then tore away at the nest and dumped them back on the ground 🙁
I found a robins egg on the ground and i don’t know how long it can last without being heated
This is sort of an off-topic question — reverse topic, actually — but I found no more appropriate thread at this site: Do robins eat eggs?
The reason I ask, is that for three days in a row (from dawn till dusk)a pair of robins kept repeatedly bumping against our living room window, clearly trying to get inside. In the room on the table (and visible from the window) was a large bowl of brightly color faux Easter eggs. I removed all egg facsimiles from sight and the robins finally gave up trying to get in half a day later. Before this, I had tried chasing them away, but to no avail. I cannot explain their behavior otherwise.
Guess I could have tested my hypothesis by leaving a real egg outside the window, but I really did not want to encourage their continued loitering and nuisance at my window.
i scared a robin off by accident while it was layng an egg so while it was flying away the egg fell out and hit the ground and broke will it still lay 4 eggs and will it even come back ?
I found a american robins nest outside on my back porch! I’m so excited I keep watching her. She laid 3 eggs. Will I scare her away if I try to take a picture of her? I got a picture of the eggs yesterday while she was away. Also do they sleep with there eyes open?
in Madison WI I saw a robin up close!
I was lucky enough to have robins come two times in the same nest! If I want them to come back again is it better to leave the nest or take it down so they can build another one
We had a robin build a nest on a second story windowsill and laid 4 eggs. We watched the mother come and go, she was there almost all the time. The other day we saw that the eggs are all gone, no shells or goo or anything. The mother came back a couple times and now she’s gone. We know something ate them and the kids are heartbroken, but my question is what? I have heard that squirrels eat eggs, but wouldn’t this leave a mess? My husband thinks a snake, but could a snake go straight up a brick wall to the 2nd story? And how can we help protect bird nests in the future? We live in Kentucky and we have lots of squirrels. I haven’t seen snakes here but I know we have them.
hi- i am 12 and we are hatching chicken and quail eggs in school so i am a little bit edu. about the topic. today it was a bit windy and i saw a nest fall out of a tree. i went over it see it and i found a robin egg (not cracked) so i put gloves on and took it inside. i put paper towels soaked in really hot water in a container and then put down a piece of thin card board with holes in it suspended with tape to put the egg on. then i labeled the egg with a pencil X on one side and O on the other so i know what side to turn it to. so i put the egg on the piece of card board and put it under a light. after about 5 minutes i decided to candle it and see what i had. i saw that i had a dark yucky yellow spot with red lines coming out of it. i figured that it was the start of the bird. what do you think i should do?
i have a robin laying eggs right out my window
A pair of red robins had a nest of 5 eggs (4 hatched)in a small tree in a brick planter on the sidewalk at the shopping center I work at,this is the first Spring I have been there.Other employees were photographing and feeding the babies up close even though both parent birds were there. I asked them to please leave them alone.The other day the babies began jumping out (they hit the bricks and concrete,which horrified me)while the employees were taking pictures, I went out and asked them to stop,the parents were frantic,the babies scattered across the very busy parking lot. 2 of them were very small and weak. I had to stop traffic to keep them from being run over,they could barely hop). It is not a safe place for them at all.(A huge parking lot)The only thing I could think of was to gather them all up,call a wildlife rehabilitator (she did accept them,because it is such a dangerous area for them to learn to fly,they are doing fine now)My question is this, Will the parents return to the same unsafe place to nest again this year or next? The bird rehibilitator told me to just leave the birds and nest alone,1 egg is still there) and let nature take it’s course but I will be horrified worrying the babies won’t be safe again!!! will the parents choose a different spot if this one was not safe enough this time? and how long before they fly once they leave the nest?
Thank you.
Oh and the parents birds have not been seen near the nest in over 2 days.
Hi
We have a robin nest under the awning of our front porch. It has been such a pleasure to observe the Mom and Dad..and kind of the whole process of seeing the bright blue eggs and the hatching and the constant tender care/feeding from the parents. I took a couple photos..but very very carefully..not wanting to disturb the “family”..the babies are so sweet ..as are Mommy and Daddy. We feel honored that Mama chose to build her nest where she did. Anywho…just sharing what a nice experience this all has been for us.
hi my name is brandy. my mom has a robin nest on the outside of her garage. their was 4 eggs then down to 2. now one. then i found one at some one house on the ground and took it to my moms and put it in her nest and robin took it.The other egg has hatched and now i am waiting to see if this one will. will it hatch? where did the other eggs go? if it is a bad egg will the mother toss it out of the nest? write back to leogurlbrandy19862002@yahoo.com thank you.
A mommy Robbin abandon a her eggs the day they were born so I have them and I have ahead thing and I made a nest for them out of my shirt and more from the dryer and I dont know if they are alive but three of them are abit darker then one and I don’t know if any of them are alive how can I tell help please 🙁
hey, today my boyfriend found a nest with two blue eggs inside. The eggs were still inside the nest when he found it but it was inside some sort of bin, which would of ended up getting wrecked since he works at a welding, metal shop type thing. Anyways i have the nest in a box wrapped in my bunny hug, with my lamp over top of it, which gets quite warm. I’m just curious if these eggs have a good chance of hatching since it was still in the nest, and also how long i would expect to see them hatch if they were too survive. also usually when iv ever seen robins eggs they were just blue, but these ones are baby blue and have like brown squiggles and spots, almost looks like poop or something lol. anyways any tips or ideas would be appreciate. thanks
Hey my name is Cristina and I was walking my dog and saw a robin egg fall beause of the wind. I ran and saw two eggs ( not cracked) one was warm but the other wasn’t. I decided to take them in my home. I got a blacket put it under a plate and a glass bowl on top of it. What do I do will it hatch? I wanna care for t, I have the time.
We have a Robin’s next at our front door, in a bush…just a few feet away from the door. A little over a month ago we noticed four blue eggs. The parents have looked after their little eggs and have not attempted to ‘attack’ us when we go in an out of our front door. Just about a week and a half ago the eggs hatched! We now have four beautiful baby Robins at our front door and they grow bigger every day. The mother feeds them all the time and when we open our front door all four babies pop up and open their mouths…it’s very cute…leave your birds be and the parents will know what to do….we peek out to look at them but don’t touch them or get too close. The mother starts chirping loudly if we do…lol…it’s been fun having them.
At the deck of my parent’s house, there is a table with an umbrella. Even though my father spends a lot of time outside at the table… a few weeks back a robin built a next inside the umbrella (along the support beams). This past week we notice little birds peaking over the nest and the mother coming by to feed them throughout the day, even as we sat there. Yesterday, two birds flew out and the mother has not returned. We had plans to replace the umbrella but wanted wait until the birds left. We figured they weren’t coming back and the nest was empty, so we reached up to grab it. Inside, there were still two little blue eggs left!!! We didn’t touch the eggs but did touch the nest! Will the mother come back? Does it matter that she see us every day and would even feed her young with us sitting under the table? Could the bird become comfortable with us and not consider us a threat? Being that the eggs were left, are we to assume that they were done for anyways? What is the best thing to do?
Hi, I don’t even know if you’re reading these comments anymore but I have a question (and its not about if an egg I found will hatch-I promise!). I recently found a robin’s egg on the ground- Don’t stop reading I know its not going to hatch! I looked around for a nest where it could have come from but didn’t see any in the tree branches above it (which must have been at least 20 feet high) or in any of the trees around it, although I have seen robins in the area. I was wondering how the egg could have gotten there. How high can an egg fall without breaking (this egg wasn’t damaged at all)? Or are there any predators that can transport an egg a far distance (try as I might I can’t see a squirrel running down a tree trunk with an egg in its front paws).
A day and a half ago, we had real strong winds. A robin had built a nest and had 4 eggs in it right off of our deck in an arbovitae. We found the nest and eggs on the ground. I used a tongs to put the nest back and found 3 eggs intact and one had cracked open to reveal a tiny, tiny baby in it. Any chance the mom will return and these babies would survive?
This morning my 12 year old son knocked down a robins nest. I was in the house and I had her him yell. So I looked outside and there he was. There were 4 small blue eggs on the ground 3 were cracked and 1 wasn’t. The nest was still intact. I took the good egg and put it into the nest, got some old grass and put it in on it. There was only about 2 minutes when the egg was on the ground. I put the nest back outside with the egg and out in a tree (not same tree, branch to high). Will the egg hatch? Is there a way I can save it?
I found 3 eggs a little over 2 weeks ago, 2 looked the same but then there was half of a white one. 2 were already dead but 1 survived the impact to the ground and only got chipped a little, i found out its a wood warbler but its supposed to hatch after 14 days but it hasnt yet. One of my best friends who knows a lot about animals told me sometimes they arent strong enough to get out of the shell by themselves so i picked at part of the shell, not enough to kill it mind you just enough so i could see thru to the bird. I can see the beak but i can’t tell if its sleeping or dead. Its been like 2 1/2 weeks since i found it, is it possible the bird isn’t dead but just taking longer to hatch?
I found some robin eggs, not cracked, and perfectly fine. I learned from somewhere that if you have a flashlight and put it over the eggs, you will be able to see the life form. I checked that, and there all fine. I just need to know how to care for them now. If you can e-mail me back with information, that would be great. Thanks. (:
You’re a downer Corey. You give No Advice that give people hope. People care about saving things so instead of being such a downer how about hooking people up with a little info that might work.
@Q (and everyone else): Virtually all the questions that are being asked here have been asked and answered in previous comments. Also, a link has been provided for more information:
http://10000birds.com/wild-bird-rescue-101.htm
And here is a second link specifically about baby birds:
http://10000birds.com/how-to-help-a-baby-bird.htm
I accidentally touched a bird nest with baby birds in it ( I didn’t touch the babies though)…. will the mother neglect the nest or babies because of it?
there are three robins eggs outside my window and every time i try to take a look at the eggs the mother bird is sitting on them looking at me chirping real loud.
does a mama robin reject her babys if a person held them?
today i found three eggs and their nest was on the ground. i waited all day and the mother didn’t come. what do I do. i am only 11. can you please help.
i realy want 2 hold the baby birds. i am 11 so what could u expect.
So here’s the story: a mother robin built her next over our outdoor light in the backyard. The light is right up against te kitchen window. She then lay three eggs, but unfortunately due to the window and the proximity of the next, has not been seen since. I know that there is a chance that she did not abandon them but it seems pretty likely as she was continually spooked by us. So, after hearing the overnight forecast and confirming that the mother was not there, I took the eggs from the nest and put a light over them to keep them warm. I’ve also been putting them in my bra during the day, since I didn’t want the light to catch on fire or anything …
I understand the whole illegal part as well as the whole contact the wildlife people, and I will do so once they’ve hatched (if they hatch at all) what I’d like to know is of there is anything else I can be doing to keep them alive …
Thank you !
i have blue eggs under my porch and thar geting ready to hatch. the mom is siting on them right now!!!!!!!! 🙂 😉
There was a robin nest blown out of tree today 2 of 3 eggs were hatching 1 clearly dead the other barley alive so what do I do with it?
We found 2 robin eggs under soil while we were gardening. the first one was cracked, but the second one has a crack in the shell, and is bleeding blood. Will it survive?
Hi, I have a family of robins on my front door, both mother and father sit on the nest together. Is this normal???
Please reply
At my grandmas house I found a birds egg and it has been keft alone for a week do u think it has a chance to live????
How do u incubate a birdbegg??? Respond fast
Years ago I happened across a Robins Egg about 20 min. after a storm had passed through, I made a make shift nest using some old shirts and placed it in a box with a heating pad under the nest,(Trust me You don’t Want it to Hatch) Mine did and so began one hell of a journey, from sun up to sun down you must feed them about every hour, Worm Puree is not fun to make, I used well blended worms with a bit of water and some liquid vitamins for birds from the pet store, I had to take little Hot Wing with me EVERYWHERE to maintain his feeding schedule, (a tough sell at work)… Flying lessons were tough as I had no idea what i was doing, oddly enough when you toss a young bird gently into the air, eventually they get tired of hitting the ground and flight seems to come naturally. Little Hot Wing did bond and would visit from time to time, I left his make-shift nest in the same place, on top of a book case next to my patio door, for two springs after he hatched he would return, sometimes flying inside for a visit and I would always have seed in the place where his nest was… That third spring he didn’t return… I hoped the best for him… In the end… It was A LOT of work but an AMAZING EXPERIENCE… Bonding with such an adorable creature… Truly an AMAZING highlight in my life… Good luck with your eggs… 🙂
I was wondering about 5 small blue eggs in my back yard. My husband and I found the eggs by accident mowing our lawn a couple weeks ago. I saw a black bird flying out of the nest area. At least I thought at that time is was a black bird, it could be a blue bird or a robin that I saw. This nest was in a old grill that we had in the back yard by our back door. A few days ago I had seen a bird lying on the ground by the back door dead. Now I’m thinking that it was the mother of these eggs. I had asked a police officer here in town what to do and he told me that he didn’t know what to do. We have the west-nile disease going around again this year and I have not touched the bird at all to put it in a bag because of that. I am sure the blue eggs that we found are also dead. Its been several weeks and about 1 week without a bird on them to keep them warm. The heat outside is very hot and humid here in Illinois today, we also had several storms lately so I’m sure the eggs are no good. I haven’t looked outside yet into the grill a few days. We haven’t touched the eggs, I had just lifted the grill lid up and checked to see if there were 5 eggs yet. If this was done by a predator, what kind of a predator would take the eggs and put them there. I had seen the bird take old grass for the nest and twiggs.
I was just wondering if any one seen the movie “Fly Away Home” about a 14 year old girl who raised a flock of geese from egg hatching to grown geese and help them to fly from Canada to Florida. It’s a wonderful movie and I love it. This reminds me of the Robin eggs that everyone is finding abandoned and trying to save.
For the last week we have watched a robin build a nest on the top of our deck pergola. It was amazing to watch.Everyday we would monitor the nest and what was happening – one egg, then 2 then 3. Mom or Dad robin would sit on the nest never leaving, this continued for a week. Today I have noticed all day that there has been NO presence of Mommy Robin or Daddy Robin. Can I take the nest down? I don’t want a stinky smell. There is still eggs in it. But from what I have read in this blog – it is really to late for the eggs at this point right?
hi i just find a robin egg outside my house i’m 16. I try looking for the tree where it might fall. but no luck so i bring it inside my house and make a nest and put a drop light on it. hope it will hatch i’m up to feeding and taking care of it (if it hatch) ^_^
hey ihave robin,she gave 4blue eggs and iam so excited to see the babie’s,can anyone tell me in how many days will babie’s come’s out of the egg.
Hi i just found a white egg (2 inches tall 1.5 inches wide) and idk what type of bird is it and I’m in california i want the bird to survive and i never found a nest near by and i wanna hatch it but how?
yesterday i found a next in a tree in my garden , i checked on it today and found that a blue robin egg was in it . I havnt seen any robins go into the tree and i dont know what do to but what do i do ??????
and birdybirdy ive looked this up on the internet i think this might help : owls, woodpeckers, parrots and toucans lay white eggs. So do the huge majority of pigeons/doves. But there are plenty of other birds that do as well, such as many species of waterfowl.
april 5th 4:08 pm jordan
i found an robin egg today and im only 11 i dont know what to do and want to be there at its birth i have now put it in a bascet and put some blankets in and what does it eat
to rita b i have seen that movie it makes me cry i just hope my egg survivs we were chopping down some trees in the gardeen when a nest feel on the floor i found one egg and one other had died i am still looking for the other blue robbins always lay 3 or more eggs
We have a robin nest in one of our bushes RIGHT next to our front porch stairs. She just laid eggs and poor thing gets scared off every time we come or go out of our house. I’m worried that if and when the eggs hatch she is going to attack the kids every time we are on the stairs or the kids are playing in the front yard. Does anyone know if this will happen? Please comment so I know whats going to happen. Not much I can do to avoid it cause I won’t move the nest and the silly bird built it there.
A Robin bird built a nest and laid 4 eggs in my bathroom windowsill 2 years ago. I got to watch everything everyday from inside the house until they flew off about 4 weeks later. The father stayed with them around some bushes for a couple more weeks teaching them how to get worms. They all did great–100% success!
Last summer a Robin bird built a nest in the same exact place. She sat in that nest for 2 weeks all the time before she laid the first egg. Finally, she laid 3 blue eggs 3 days apart. They hatched one day at a time, but she stopped incubating once the first egg hatched, but she stood over the nest which was odd to me. She never fed the new hatchlings. I watched each hatchling die a slow death–they went from pink with mouth open and very lively to white with tiny red veins (actually arteries). Then the mother buried the dead hatchling deep in the nest–gross! When the last egg hatched the 3rd day, she would not feed it either and just stood over the nest all the time. The father was bringing the mother bird loads of worms every 15-30 minutes. He fed her before she even laid the eggs and continued to work hard bringing plenty of food to her after she laid the eggs and until they hatched but she never fed her hatchlings. Sometimes she would squat beside the nest like she was incubating the brick! She would NEVER leave that ledge. The last hatchling started turning white a day after it hatched. It looked very healthy when it hatched, but either the mom was inexperienced or she was mentally ill. When the last hatchling died, she dug like mad with her beak to bury that last dead hatchling. I hope a cat kills this infantcidal mother Robin bird. Can someone tell me if they have seen or heard of this type of behavior by a mother Robin bird? There is no way she saw me watching them in that nest. Shenever seemed stressed. I kept the blind closed all the time and kept the light off in that room. Could the fact that she sat in that nest for 2 weeks before laying the eggs one day apart have something to do with her behavior? The bird the year before didn’t stay in the nest until she laid the eggs and she would leave to help the daddy get worms and her young got so big they were laying on top of each other before they flew off like little pros.
I was so sad to see what happened to the last nest and I knocked it out of the window with a stick after she buried the last poor baby. She really made it hard for me to get it down–there was so much mud under that nest! She made a good nest that normally would not have gone anywhere, even in a heavy rain or wind storm. I put little ceramic ducks inside that window to discourage anymore nests.
To Josh,
If the mother bird gets scared off every time you or your kids go out of the house and she still comes back and incubates the eggs,then you have a very determined bird. Also know that daddy bird will always be watching. Sometimes the daddy bird will sit on the nest and give mother a break. I would go out another door for the next month because those birds will swoop down and give a nasty-sounding chirp. I wouldn’t worry about the birds pecking out your family’s eyes though. You will be hearing chirping early in the morning for a month after they hatch! You might want to find that nest another bush farther away from your house and hope mother bird finds it and doesn’t leave them.
To Melanie…I just checked the nest while the kids where out playing and momma or dad is in the nest not fazed by us. I guess it realizes we aren’t going to bother it’s babies! Makes me feel better a little.
Robins really like to put nests on top of light fixtures on porches. I bought a $60 wreath and put it on my front door for the spring that was made out of real twigs, pine needles, ground moss, and other natural things. Two days later, that wreath was picked down to the wire holding things in place and my porch light had all that wreath’s material in it shaped like a bowl! I couldn’t help but laugh. That mother bird was perched up there like a queen. I worry about the little birds when they get ready to fledge. I hope there are no more than 3 eggs up there because if there are, one or more little birds are going to get knocked out early. With that in mind, I may end up throwing some old towels down under that nest on the porch in a couple of weeks so they will have a soft landing. But, I am going to have to do something when this batch hatches to keep anymore birds from building there. I usually watch 3 nests a summer in strange places on my house. Bird watching can become addicting!
My mom and I found an egg outside and it still seems alive…I have it in a bowl with grass all around it, and paper towels under it, it is under a lamp…I would like to see the bird live… Is there a chance of it living… It has been doing well
I moved it over to a heating pad which is little warmer 🙂 pray for the best
Hi, I found a robin’s egg in the grass while walking my dog and the only tree was a super tall palm tree. I picked it up and took it home to check out some sites to see if it was alive still. It is cold and rainy. So I placed the egg at home in my scarf and then went out – when I came back to check on it I felt the heart beat through the egg shell. I don’t know what to do now! I never expected it to be alive! I want to find it’s nest and put it back, but if it is in that high palm tree I won’t be able to. What do you suggest I do?! What happens when it hatches? What is the time frame to feed it when it hatches? Is it okay to be in my house protected just by the scarf or do I need to put a lamp on it or put it on a heating pad? I’m excited and nervous!
hi i recently noticed that the nest infront of my house and i notticed that there are three robin eggs in the nest and i was wondering because i havent seen the mom lately but the nest is like a food high and about 3 inches thick and i was wondering what to do if u could get back to me on that that would be great thanx
please can you tell me l wanna know. thank you
Corey is more patient with you people than I ever could be. Why do you post your questions if they’ve already been posted and answered DOZENS of times? Would it kill you to read the other posts first? And NO, you can’t hatch an egg on your own, as has already been stated MANY times. Give it up already!
@Kitty: I think I love you… 🙂
There is a robin laying on 4 eggs, but her nest is in a bad location… on our fence right above concrete. We have two dogs that would hurt the babies if they fell out of the nest. Should I move the nest to a more secure location or just leave it?
Hi, I am 16 and I am a Licensed bird breeder. I have hand raised many baby birds in my life. Me and my friend found a robin egg outside on the ground and not cracked. We candled it and there was nothing in it so I put it in my incubator and a few days later it started to develop. If it hatches will I be doing something illegal by keeping it?
Some Robins built a nest on the fence of our back porch. They are at about chest height. When they were building it my son (2 years old) pulled the beginnings of it down until I caught him. They finished the nest and we saw 2 eggs in it. We could see them from a few feet away as they were pretty much in plain sight. Eventually we saw 2 baby birds. One morning not 2 weeks later I looked out and saw some dried grass on the porch from the nest, part of the nest torn slightly, and the 2 birds are gone. I looked on the ground for them, but no. My dogs went nuts on the porch sniffing around, leading me to believe a raccoon got the babies. I am thinking they may try again in the same location since I was told that nests have been built in that fence for years and there have always been small children and dogs in the house. How can I keep the racoons away?
You can hatch bird eggs in your home if they are fertile. A lot of work when they hatch. You have to buy hand feeding bird food. I bought it from the local zoo. You start feeding at 6am in the morning and finish at 12 midnight every day and they are fed every two hours.
hi- i found a blue robin bird egg under a pine tree. i put i in a box and put a towel in the box. then i set the blue robin bird in and surrounded it with cotton balls. it is now a aqua color and i am checking on the bird every 5-10 minutes. will it live? am i taking good care of it? what else could i do?
hello ive been looking for a robins egg so i could make it hatch but i looked every were i cant find one!!! there are so much robins were i live but i cant find a nest or a egg help im only 11!!!!
Have a robin’s nest in my backyard. Last week, there were 2 eggs. I peeked today, and they are just GONE! not hatched, not one the ground. Don’t blue jay’s take eggs? I don’t know what else could have happened.
My neighbor found a robin`s egg on the ground,but she also saw it fall.She doesn`t know what pushed it down,but it fell without a crack on it.I-being a HUGE wildlife lover-took it in without any kind of protest.The egg was warm when I got it.Is there even a slim chance it will survive????
I also have a lmap with two settings on it;Bright and extremely bright.What setting should I have it on?????
Oh,another FYI,I`m only 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!HELP PLEASE!
i found a robin egg on the floor in my backyard like most people i put it in a warm safe place. but i dnt think it was on the floor becuase rhe mom didnt wnt it. there was a destroyed nest a couple feet near the egg,im thinking that it fell out. what do i do????
I seen a robin built a nest behind my neighbors porch and I have been watching her come and go from my yard so she could sit on her eggs but one day I came around the back of my trailer and I noticed a big black & white bird that looked almost like a mag-pie that landed on the top of my neighbors house- then it jumped down onto their porch-then onto the ledge of their back door and then jumped onto the robin’s nest and took a big blue egg out of it and then flew away– my neighbor took a look and there were no eggs left in the nest so I’m just wondering if the robin abandoned her nest as I have not seen her for the past couple of days. If someone could help me I would appreciate it…Bye for now
Hi, I found a robins nest that had fallen with two eggs still inside. My husband said that they had been there for a couple of days, and he didn’t mess with them and hoped that the parents would come back for them. Well I had picked them up yesterday and brought them inside, they are cold to the touch so ill just hold them until they get warm again. I do not have any lights or incubators to keep them under so i kind of just wrapped them and cuddled them together and have them in a small birds cage. I was trying to find look up how to find out if they are alive or not and so I took them in a dark room and held a flash light up to them I did not see a bird form, all I saw was a yellow spot on the side of the egg, so I’m thinking that they may have stayed out in the sun too long and cooked. Any opinions? I really don’t want to toss them out until I know for sure that they dot have a chance.
An American Robin has built a nest on my back porch. There are eggs in there that are due to hatch next week, based on the date that I noticed that eggs were in there from an empty nest. The last time I saw the Robin in the nest was 3 days ago. She hangs out in my yard, on the fence or in the tree watching over the nest. The last time I noticed that she rotated the eggs to maintain temperature was 3 days ago. I was very careful not to disturb the nest or the environment in which she built the nest in; however I did take a few pictures. One of which she swooped down at me from a nearby tree. Could she have possibly abaonded her nest, thinking that it wasn’t safe anymore?
Hi was wondering how do u tell if a blue robin egg is fertile?????
First of all how can I feed a baby bird when I’m away at school? And how can I keep a egg warm without a incubator?
I found a Robin egg on the ground on Friday around 4:00ish my mom said that it might have fallen out of the nest Tuesday night during the big wind storm. When I picked it up I don’t remember if it was warm or not but will it have a chance to live? I brought it home and got a shoe box and then put my rabbit fur that I got a while back around it. I have kept it as warm as possible by putting my phone underneath it at night and then putting it in the sun during the day. I have had it for about three days now and it has not turned gray. Is there still a chance for it to live? Please reply asap thank you!
Emma,
Fill a cup with hot water then find a cup to put into the cup of hot water then fill the cup on the water with dirt then repeat often and put a mercury thermometer in the in the dirt and put the egg in the cup of dirt try to make sure the eggs temp is 100 to 104 degrees change water often . Hope this helps,,,,,,,
Okay I’ve read the posts but didn’t come across anything I’m about to talk about. A robin built a nest just outside our upper level bathroom window. She lay four eggs and all four hatched. For four days there were four babies in the nest. Today when I looked there were only 2 in the nest. We looked outside on the ground and around but no babies. The older 2 birds are still there growing and changing every day. What happened to the other two? My theory another bird took them..I thought I saw a different bird standing on the edge of the nest…could it be?
I was very concerned, when the robin nest on my balcony was leff without a mother for a day and a half. It rained the one night the mother didn’t come back. She is now back once again, and is now sitting on the eggs. Are the eggs still alive. There are 3.
Today. I had to take a robins nest down to save an egg from being cut down… its still in its nest as of right now.. I just sent out a email to a bird rehabilitation center what else should I dom
, I don’t have a heat lamp so I wrapped up the nest in warm clothing.need helpp!
A robin built a nest in the wreath hanging on our front door. Over the course of several days 4 eggs appeared. We stopped using the front door so we wouldn’t disturb her or the eggs. Today we checked the nest and all the eggs were gone. There is no sign of shells or remnants of baby birds. What happened?
I’ve been watching a robin sitting on her 3 eggs for days now. We went away for couple hours and just saw the nest was attacked (i guess). 2 eggs on the ground. one cracked alittle and on edge of nest. I put the egg back in nest bc it was about to fall off the branch. It had a small hole in it though. I feel so bad about what happened..nest was probably in too low a spot. Anyhow now the mama is sitting in the nest. Doesn’t she realize eggs are done…or does she think the one I put back is still ok? Can the mama tell?
Hi Corey,
I’ve read through these first, fyi. Basically, I found a robin’s egg in the loft of a barn. I picked it up thinking it was old/abandoned, simply to show my daughter. It had surprising weight to it. There is a robin’s nest in the barn, live, the mother goes to and fro. I am not sure how an intact egg got into the loft, but it was VERY warm in the loft…
I got it home and checked it with a flashlight to just make sure it wasn’t good. Well, there’s a dark spot in the center that moves around. This freaked me out as you can imagine.
I put in a phone call to a friend who is a certified wildlife rehab person. I can’t remember the correct term. In the meanwhile I am doing my best to keep it warm.
I can’t return it to the location. I took it while on a cleaning job, I cleaned up all the chaff and fluff it was sitting in on the ground per the barn owner’s request. I could not reach the live nest if I needed to. The owner has locked the barn and is back at his other property.
Question is, is there anything else I could or should do while waiting for my friend to phone?
Thank you.
i need help
I found a robin egg in my shed and I keep it warm but I don’t know if its alive so I found something saying how many days till its sop posed to hatch so I hope it’s gonna be ok
DON’T FIND EGGS AND TAKE THEM!!!! Chances are you will take it and it will die plus its illegal! Only take an egg if its on the ground and even then its illegal. You can get sued. If you find one on the ground bring it to someone who is licensed or you get a license but you have to wait until your 13 i’m pretty sure. I have a baby bird at the moment but at least I have a license because i’m 13. Apply for a license and please don’t take eggs out of nests
I found 3 robin eggs.I wrapped them with a tissue. I do not have an incubator.Do you have any ideas on how to keep them warm so they hatch?FYI i candled them and there was a baby bird in each of them.
We just took in a robins nest with 4 eggs. One is missing the top and the baby’s beak is sticking out and the a little bloody. It has a heartbeat (we can see it the sack moving as if the heart is beating or baby is breathing). We are putting the nest under a red reptile light to keep them warm. What are the chances for the partially broken egg? Its very sad.
I too have become fascinated with watching these amazing Robins with their nesting. Mama bird is very protective. I can sit on my deck, under which her nest is built, and watch her going back and forth and warning other birds when they come around to stay back! At least another Robin is there (perhaps a male) has got her back in keeping danger away. Love to watch them!
Hi! I had a beautiful chance to see Robin’s childhood journey from the office window. I also video some moments of it. I hope it will be interested for you to watch 30 days of Robin’s baby bird life. We missed them. The video is here – https://youtu.be/2PwSOjSJlhM. Thank you!
i have found two robins egg in our balcony shade, just took picture then put it back and it turns out after some day little robin chirping.It feels great, its a story back many days. Seeing your image that memory come back with lovely emotions, thanks for sharing from archives.
I found two Robin eggs before and they are really fascinating to see. Makes me wanna check out for hatching video or documentary of this wonderful bird.
Hi my 4 year old found what I believe to be a Robin egg on the ground in our back yard I couldn’t find the nest a few days before hand I found the same color egg shell open in the same area my daughter found the egg I’m not sure what to do with it my daughter is insistent I get this bird safe is it most likely pushed out the nest because it was unhealthy by the mother or should I try to save it some how if so how do I go about it for now I have it in the sun in a flower pot on the porch