Will Birds Hatch If Abandoned?

Can They Make It On Their Own Or Do They Need Help?

By Richard Worden

The miracle of birth is magnificent across all species. That is unless you're an unhatched bird egg with no mama bird and no external help, but will birds hatch if abandoned?

Bird eggs will not hatch if abandoned. The requirements for successful hatching can be provided organically through the care of the mother (and sometimes father) of the eggs. Otherwise, human interference is necessary.

This article will explain what happens to bird eggs that are not attended to and what is needed for them to crack open and release those cute little featherless baby chicks.

The Chick and the Egg

Birds lay eggs, the eggs hatch, baby bird chicks appear, and the cycle repeats. This gives us these colorful feathery things flying around the sky. 

However, there are some specific and essential requirements for it to go smoothly:

They like to move it, move it: As necessary as it is for the eggs to be warm constantly, they also need to be moved and turned around to avoid overheating. The mother bird will usually tend to that a few times per day.

• When mommy bird met daddy bird. There is a yearly mating season for birds. The female and the male bird come together, and the mommy later lays an egg. The fertilized egg will eventually hatch under the right circumstances. On the other hand, female birds will lay eggs regardless of mating, but the eggs produced will never hatch.
• Turn up that heat. Eggs must be constantly warm and tended to. The temperature has to be stable at around 100°F (37.77°C). Any drop in temperature can seriously harm the eggs and might contribute to the egg not hatching. Thankfully, the mother bird will constantly sit atop the eggs providing much-needed warmth. Sometimes, the father might sit on the eggs if the mother is unavailable.
  
  

Abandoned Eggs

You may think it's not uncommon to see unhatched eggs lying around, and you'd be correct. There are some reasons why you might find abandoned eggs: 

• Incubation period: Many mother birds will not start the incubation period until she has laid all their eggs. In the meantime, they would simply be living their lives until the last egg has been laid. These eggs can remain healthy for up to two weeks. After that, they can start the incubation period. Moreover, depending on the bird species, the incubation period can take between ten days and three weeks.
• Handle with care: Keep in mind how fragile eggs are. The term "walking on eggshells" didn't come into existence for nothing. In the case of eggs that have dropped for whatever reason, it might not show on the outside, but there might be some internal damage to the embryo. Therefore, the egg will never hatch.
• Too cool for you: If an egg has been left alone way too long, especially after the incubation period has started, the babies inside will sadly never come to be. The most common reason is an attack from a predator where the mother had to flee, or, worse yet, the mother would have died.
• Harmful interference: If the egg of a different bird species was put in the nest of a mother bird, in some cases, she might stay atop and continue the incubation period. In other cases, she might abandon the entire nest because of that one "different" egg. However, it can be something else altogether. For example, the parents might be hiding and waiting for you to leave so they can return to the nest and carry on with their lives.
• Mother nature: Stormy nights and windy days can play a part in nests being tampered with or destroyed. If so, eggs might fall out. 
• Unfertilized eggs: The mother bird would know if the eggs she laid were not fertilized, so she would eventually abandon them
  
  

Human Interference

As clearly mentioned above, will birds hatch if abandoned? no, eggs will not hatch on their own. However, human interference can give those little ones a fighting chance.

If you find random eggs in nature, don't get too excited because the process of hatching an egg is meticulous and tiring. So unless you're willing to dedicate a significant portion of your time to these little ones, it will not be successful. 

You must ensure you place the eggs in a safe and secure environment. Remember, they are incredibly fragile. You would need to provide the eggs with a source of warmth, constantly check on them, and move them around.

If you are successful in hatching the egg and there's now a little featherless chick who thinks you're its mother, you would need to care for it and provide for it. 

Baby birds need time to develop feathers, so they can't fly (and have no feathery coat to keep them warm). They need about 18 days to be able to function correctly. In those early tentative days, you must constantly monitor and keep up with your young pets. 

Sometimes, if the mother is not available, the father bird takes care of feeding the children in the early days before they can do it on their own

You would have to play the parts of both the mother and the father to ensure they grow up healthy and happy. After that, they can be independent of you. Whether they return to you after flying away depends on how much of a bond they made with you and how safe and secure they felt in your care.

Feathery Early Life

Birds can find their own food and can generally take care of themselves. However, baby birds require much more care to become independent later in life.

In those early days, if neither the mother nor the father feeds the chicks, they will unfortunately and undoubtedly die. The primary caregiver is the mother, but the father sometimes takes over for her.

The parents wait till their chicks develop feathers (primarily for heat), and then later, when they're older, they can start to fly. 

If a mother does not reject an egg from a different bird species, she can take care of babies that are not hers. However, these newcomers need to have a similar diet to hers to be fed appropriately.

Another important thing is that the mother needs to stay with the young in those first tentative days. Otherwise, there's a high chance she will reject them later on.

Grains, proteins, and insects are the most common food given to these babies.

Exceptions to the Rule

I stated time and time again above that abandoned eggs will never be able to hatch on their own. However, quail birds are apparently exceptions to this rule. 

These little avian eggs would have to be kept sheltered, safe, and secure. They will eventually go through the incubation period on their own and hatch.

Will Birds Hatch If Abandoned...Final Thoughts

As adorable as these feathery friends are, their introduction into the world can be tricky and high maintenance. Therefore, if you find abandoned eggs, monitor the area before you decide to act on your own and make sure to do lots of research.

If there’s any sign of the parents still being around, leaving the egg as is is always the best choice. Otherwise, you can either take it upon yourself to attend to the unborn bird or, better yet, contact a professional.

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Hi! I'm Richard Worden, the author and founder of We Know Birds.

Over 20 years ago I developed a keen interest in birds and birdwatching, and it has been my passion ever since. I am committed to spreading useful knowledge about birds to others so we might all enjoy them to the fullest.

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