Robin's Eggs and Incubation, viability, etc. (1 Viewer)

[Incandescent]

Greetings,

I just registered with this Forum to ask this question, etc.

I had a lovely, large Robins nest under my 2nd story patio. Each year, the same mother returns (i am assuming the same) and builds the nest up a bit and then lays eggs, hatches them, raises them, they leave and the nest remains empty until the next spring.
This has been going on for about 6 years.

Yesterday morning, my little girl found the mother laying on the ground, under the nest area. She was not dead, but something was very wrong with her as when I stroked her head (wearing gloves) she would only move a bit, but would or could not attempt to fly away. I then grabbed a latter and gently held her so she could not move (she did struggle quite a bit which showed she still had a fair amount of engery/life in her) and placed her back into her nest, upon her eggs.

When I came home from work and checked on her, she was dead.
I then gently removed the nest (as there was no aother way to get the eggs without damaging them) and built a make-shift heated nest using a 12" glass bowl, and a 1.5x1.5 heating pad. I wrapped the heating pad with 2 towels and cupped it into the glass bowl. I placed the 4 eggs into the new nest and monitored for about an hour to make sure I was not cooking the eggs, but just warming them. About every 6-8 hours, I have been rotating the eggs.
The warmth of the bed feels about the same warmth level as if you were to stick your hand under one of your legs once you have been sitting for a bit.

My first and main question. How long would the eggs remain viable without their mothers warmth over them? I would guess-timate they were un-warmed for about 8-10 hours. The days leading up to the mothers demise were rather warm, around 80 degrees. The day she died on her nest, the temp was colder, around 60.

Am I warming dead, blighted eggs or do they still have a chance?
I was told by another to do a 'candle check'. Use a pin-holed flash light and shine it through the egg to see if there is a dot forming. Then, I would need to do that each day to see it the dot was increasing in size, etc.

The eggs are not the typical solid, blue Robin's color. They are half light-light blue and half white-cream color. Almost like there were fake, plastic easter eggs with the top half being blue and the bottom being cream. Does that mean anything?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dave B Smith]

Hello,
On behalf of the staff, welcome to the Birdforum. I'm afraid I can't answer all your questions (hopefully other members will) but I can give you some general ideas.

First, read our sticky thread, Baby & Injured Wild Birds. It will give you some answers to the issues in trying to raise young birds. It also notes that it is illegal in the US to take the egss / incubate / raise wild birds without the proper licenses.

Outside of that, it is also a difficult task that will seldom result in healthy birds fledging and making their way in the world. Being that the eggs went without incubation for a number of hours, most likely they are already "not viable". Also, trying to get a "rehabber" to take in a nest of eggs would be quite difficult but do call some. They can certainly give you the best advice.

Thanks for caring and trying to help.