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Bluebird Eggs Not Hatching

13 years ago

After many successful yrs. of bluebird hatchings, we are stymied after 25 days of 5 eggs not hatching. Both male and female very attentive to the nest but still no babies. What do we do? Will parent bluebirds abandon the eggs or should we destroy the nest so they will rebuild and start again? Help!!

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Comments (4)

parrotmommie
13 years ago
It sounds like an immature pair that are trying parenting for the first time. It's not unusual for the first clutch to be unsuccessful. As long as the eggs don't smell rotten, you can leave them & the bluebirds may lay eggs around the other eggs. Since it's been 25 days and you're sure there are no new eggs laid since that time, it should be okay to remove the eggs to entice the birds to try again.
green_t
13 years ago
BB parent- I'm going through the exact same thing for the first time! And it's in a box I have a nestcam in, so it's super disappointing. Mrs. B is still incubating diligently and Mr. B is still bringing her food (day 23!).

Other sources have said the male could be sterile. :( I think I'm going to mark the eggs and leave them in there and keep observing what happens.

Here is a link that might be useful: unhatched eggs
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The three eggs are still there, and mom and dad have been busy at work. They're eating up the dried mealworms, too. I haven't seen any house wrens, but I'm not great at picking them out, either. I just went to my Sibley book, and it says that they are at edges of woods and overgrown gardens, we really don't fit that bill. No woods, and not much of a garden. This neighborhood was corn fields until 2006 and they scraped off all of the good soil and left the clay. Two neighborhoods side by side, same outcome. Any trees here are under 7 years old. I've put in bushes in the last 2 years, all are still quite small. I do have a carolina wren that nests every year in the propane tank, about 15 feet from the bluebird feeder. I've left that nest alone, but found it on the ground after the propane guy came about a month ago. I don't know if the wren will rebuild or not, I hope so. That's a funny bird, when we sit on the back porch it'll jump around the porch just out of eyesight and peek over to look at us as it goes around. Like it thinks we don't see it!! Would a carolina wren disturb it? My daughter just started taking lessons at that horse farm, I was actually shocked when I heard and then saw those HOSP. They were only there that one time, but they were there. We are quite rural, and close to the bay with a lot of swamp around. I never feed birdseed beyond the winter time and it is always BOSS or safflower seeds, never millet and that filler crap that those HOSP seem to love. I really hope I never see one of those here!! I have a killdeer nesting somewhere way in the backyard, I haven't gotten too close, I got a warning last time I walked back there, and my purple martins are back, too :) Each of the plots in the neighborhood are an acre, and it is only about 40% built, the builders left after the market crashed. The empty plots are regularly mowed, lots of empty fields around here. Christy
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The boxes were paired about 10 feet apart,they each began building nest and the both began laying eggs ,Then All of the sudden,The TRES decided they wanted the other box.They moved in and began laying more eggs with the Wren eggs,even carefully adding nesting material under the the Wren eggs.I noticed the Wren was going in the other box where the TRES used to be.I thought for sure they would throw out the TRES eggs and rebuild another nest,But they didn't,she began incubating the TRES eggs.The start of incubation was a week apart,so I couldn't just switch everything.I was surprised some of the eggs hatched.I did contact a rehaber as soon as I noticed what was going on.Since TRES feed in the air,there was no way each Species would have survived once fledging.Here is the surviving TRES from the video,He/She was pulled from the nest just before it was due to fledge.It was released a few weeks later by the rehaber.
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Amazing! I never gave much thought to the hatching process..that the Mom stands guard the whole time and keeps everything moving. I knew they ate the shells - partly for calcium I think, but had no idea about the "gentle pecking". Kind of like when they rub babies in the hospital I guess. Gets them moving and breathing. We are definitely going to install cameras next year! I know I'll never be able to match the camera work of some of you but it must be magical to watch all of these things take place. Thanks for sharing. tara
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They are all usually laid at different times. The ones that didn't hatch were probably laid a few days after the others. have any more hatched? i have 5 baby blue birds right now.
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lcmoore99
13 years ago
After watch a female bluebird sitting for 23 days of incubating 5 eggs (have a nest cam, too), a house wren pecked 2 of the eggs and threw them out of the box. I found one at the base of the box and it had a dead embryo in it. It had all its 'bird parts' but would not have hatched after all that time. I didn't find the 2nd one thrown out but I did take out the remaining 3. The dead embryo and the 3 eggs I took into the house stunk like dead fish! That's after I opened them, I don't know if you could smell that though the shells or not.

The other 3 eggs were not developed past maybe 24-48 hours. I have no explanation as to why these eggs did not develop. If the parents don't mind, you could take the eggs out and smell them to see if they smell rotten. If they do, I'd take them out of there. The parents may be confused at first but it might be better to help them move on to the next brood.

I left the nest in the box hoping that Mama Blue will be stimulated to try again. I'd leave the nest there if I were you.

Good luck, I know your pain. Linda...
lisa11310
13 years ago
At 25 days I would candle them. Gently bring them in and shine a strong flashlight through them, If there is no mass then remove them. If there is a fully formed mass put it back in the box. I usually like to see whats in the eggs at this point. Never ran across a baby that would have hathed. At 25 days if you do find one put it in the nest. I would not expext to find life at this point. Good luck on the next nesting, at least they are trying!

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