Flora/Fauna: Found a robin's egg

[Zanick]

It's not broken, I don't know if the fetus is intact. I have to move it so I can finish mowing the lawn, but I'll use gloves for precaution. Right now I have no clue where it might've come from, and I don't know how it'd go over for me to put it back in the nest if I did.

My goal is to somehow get rid of this, with the fetus not dying, but then it wouldn't be able to fend for itself. Should I bring it to a shelter or something? Or I could hatch and raise it myself if possible. I really have no clue.

Any ideas on what I can do to help this egg?

[Pee Vee Proots, M.D.]

It'd go over fine if you put it back in the nest. Birds have next to no sense of smell. I'm assuming that's why you're worried/wearing gloves? Because the momma bird will smell the human and reject the egg/baby birdy? Yeah. That's bullshit.

[Zanick]

Thanks! Currently I have no idea where the nest is, but if I do find it then I'll put it right back.

My only worry is that I may put it back in the wrong nest, this would alarm the mother most likely and I don't know how she might react. Or I might not find the nest, it might've been destroyed by a recent storm. In any case I have some trees to climb.

[SHARP]

Originally Posted by zanick

My only worry is that I may put it back in the wrong nest, this would alarm the mother most likely and I don't know how she might react.

I wouldn't worry 'bout that, there's several species that are brood parasitic, and they're successful. If it works for them I don't see why it shouldn't work for you, considering the brood parasite's eggs doesn't always match those of the target species.

EDIT: ...And I once put a White Wagtail chick back in the nest after a failed flight attempt, and strung up a cardboard box underneath to keep it from suffering the same fate its 3 siblings suffered, namely that of "death by impact with asphalt floor after a 7 meter drop". A couple of days later I saw the parents going to and from the box under the ceiling, and about a week later a colleague of mine saw the young bird do a couple o' laps 'round the shop before flying out, so apparently my rescue mission had worked out.

[Issue313]

Its probably long dead. Developing eggs don't like being cold, birds are warm blooded animals after all. Most parasite birds remove one of the hosts eggs from the nest, often the parasite chick will then eject the host's chicks as well. Nature's cruel, don't worry about it.