What bird egg is this???

[MeghanChickLady]

I found a pure white bird egg, sitting on the ground, It is alive. it is pure white, about the size of a robin egg. Anybody got ideas?

 

[centrarchid]

Morning doves around?

 

[pjquail]

I'm not to experienced at all at identifying bird eggs but I have small pure white eggs currently and they belong to a Bobwhite Quail. Maybe that could be an option? Just trying to help

 

[MeghanChickLady]

I apologize, I wrote this in a rush and I meant "cardinal", not robin. Yes, we do have morning doves, but I have figured out that it is a Tree Swallow egg. What I suspect happened was a crow came upon the nest, lifted an random egg, and let it drop. Then the crow turned about and laid its own egg in the nest, as crows often do. Its called "nest sabotage" and Ive seen it happen. Im going to try to find the nest and replace the egg, take out the crow egg maybe. Will the parents reject the egg? If so, should I incubate it? Ive been holding it in my hand for warmth, and I put it under a lamp to warm it. We did the test, its still alive.

Any ideas?

 

[pjquail]

Okay. I know that if you touch a baby wild bird the parents will reject it because of the human scent. But I don't know about the egg.

 

[MeghanChickLady]

I love watching the swallows fly around my yard, and I don't want to risk this one dying...or being rejected. Swallows are intelligent(well, more so than some birds I know) and can live like twenty years. I think Im going to incubate it. I just set it in the incubator and stuff. Now, another question.

Most often, when crows sabotage nests, the other chicks die because the crow chick requires so much food, they starve. So, should I go back and take out the crow egg? Or leave it? If I do take it out, do I "toss it" ? I just want some opinions!!

Thanks guys!

 

[pjquail]

I wouldn't throw away the crow egg. Because if your swallow egg doesn't hatch than at least one baby bird gets a home. When incubating the swallow egg keep it at the preferred temp. & humidity and since you don't know how old it is than when it starts to waddle/shake I would bump up the temp. & humidity

 

[MeghanChickLady]

Okay, I will. But the reason I want to take the crow egg OUT, not neccesarily throw it away, is because the crow eats and requires so much that the parents have not time to feed the original chicks. The original chicks usually end up dying. Throwing it away is an option, but I don't really want to take it.

Ideas? (as to the crow egg)

 

[pjquail]

Ohhh! I thought you meant there was only one egg in the nest and it dropped and the nest has only 1 crow egg now. My bad! Yes I would definitely either throw out the egg or move it to a new nest/area.

 

[centrarchid]

No crow eggs involved as too late in season. If cuckholdry involved then cowbird might be involved. Too much speculation otherwise.