Tara, it is possible that your eggs will hatch in a staggered fashion. That sometimes happens in the hotter months because the eggs may start developing before mama blue begins incubating them. You're right, though, that the only way to be sure is to wait it out. Hang in there and please keep us posted.
Kathy

Seeing the little one breathing is a good thing! I always check to see that they are actually breathing. In hot weather they might lay there with their mouths open; that's normal too.
They can hatch 2-3 days apart and still be fine. You will notice the difference in size as they grow. If one is TOO small, or hatches too late, it will have difficulty competing with the others for food.
Even if the other eggs don't hatch, the babies will lay on them (like a little pillow). After 4 days or so, you can remove unhatched eggs carefully if you like. I like to remove them before the chicks get too big for me to maneuver around them, so the egg does not get damaged and attract ants.
Be careful; the eggs are very fragile. Don't take the chance of having one break in the nest.
Now about the indentation in an egg. Sometimes they will still hatch, as long as the inner sac is not broken, allowing air to dry the contents. We had 3 eggs with tiny dents, even a tiny crack, in our last brood (suspect HOWR), and they did not hatch. They had begun development, but all 3 were completely dried out inside.
BUT, if there is an OUTdent, that's a sign that the chick is beginning to hatch. And that is always a good thing!
BlueBars

Thank you for your responses.

I was gone all day yesterday (working the polls). I went out this morning with plenty of worms. The first thing I did was check the box, and the one chick is still there. Not breathing as hard, but then it's not nearly as hot. But the other two eggs are still just sitting there.

Then I whistled for the parents. It took a long time for Dad to show up - he ate a couple worms, chased a robin away, and flew off. After a lot of whistling, Mom finally showed up, ate a worm, and then left. I kept whistling and waiting, but not much. Dad came back and snatched something off the ground, and left. A robin even came and sat on TOP of the nestbox, and no parents. So I'm concerned.

I'm going to check again tomorrow, and will try to feed again tonight. I really wish I had mealies since I think they might not like these waxworms. I'm growing some but they are still small. The eggs weren't 14 days old until yesterday, so it still could be that they just aren't ready and the one that did hatch was early. I hope so. Brad & Angie are such good parents, and I know my heart will break if things go wrong. When I came inside this morning I actually felt sick in my stomach.

So I'll try again this afternoon and hope that things will be ok. And I'll check the box again tomorrow. I'll be sure to let you know. And again, thank you so much.

tara

Tara, Bluebirds LOVE waxworms way more than mealies however most waxworms are probably too big for a brand new baby. I am sure they are off hunting for the right food for the new little one. When my four hatched this year the Blues didn't eat much that I offered the first three days and then they started feeding them just about anything and came and would clean out the dishes quite quickly. I was feeding mealworms, waxworms and crickets. Now when they come they will normally take the waxworms first and then the mealworms, I stopped the crickets for the most part. Last year I had a pair that had just one baby survive. They ate only the waxworms I put out and wouldn't even touch the mealworms even though the mealies were always available and the waxworms came like 3x a day. Sure hope your other two eggs hatch for you, that one will be quite a bit ahead though.

Donna

I just got back from checking the box again. Still just the one little guy. He's starting to get those downy feathers now, and is definitely breathing and growing. He hatched on Sunday morning, so that's 4 days old now. The other two eggs are just sitting there, looking a little dull. I'm almost positive they won't hatch, but I'm going to wait until the weekend. My issue now is how to move the unhatched eggs. As luck would have it this nest is deeper than the other two were. This morning I also noticed some gunk on the back of the box (inside) right under the nest line. I think I should try to wipe it off before ants find it but I'm worried about that too. Figured I'd do everything at once.

The parents were in and out of the box a lot yesterday afternoon so I really hoped I'd find 3 babies today. Brad is still super attentive, chasing robins away (but not the mockingbirds or titmice). They did eat more waxworms today but I didn't see them take any into the box. DONNA - I pick out the smallest waxworms and mix them in with a few bigger ones.

If anyone can provide some guidance on how to move these eggs without hurting the little one it would be appreciated. It's supposed to be hot again today and tomorrow, with thunderstorms starting up tomorrow afternoon. It's going to be even hotter on Sunday and Monday, so I know if the eggs haven't hatched by Saturday I need to get them out or they'll cook.

I have told you guys how wonderful you are haven't I? *S*

tara

tara, it's not likely those eggs will hatch; it's been 4 additional days, right? I use a wide plastic spoon that came with Miracle Gro (I sure don't expect any miracles in my garden LOL). It's nice because the bowl is deep, so the egg can't roll out easily. You can then check the eggs to see if there was any development, or maybe they were infertile; dispose of them far far far from the nestbox.
You could probably wipe out the "gunk" you described, or scrape it out with a putty knife, before that little lone nestling gets any bigger. He (or she) will probably sleep right through it.
The bluebird parents will have an easy time of it with only one nestling to feed and protect, and he/she will grow fast.
BlueBars

Hey Tara, good luck with your egg removal, I would just try a plastic spoon, and with the cleaning of the box. I know how nerve wracking messing with a nest can be, I had to do a nestchange last year and I was shaking the entire time.

Donna

I had 2 unhatched eggs in this last batch and I just left them alone. When I cleaned out the nest there was still one egg in the nest, nobody seemed to pay any attention to it. The babies slept on top of them and generally ignored them. It's up to you whether you want to remove the eggs or not.

Anita, I would have left them but it's so hot here! And the bugs are awful this summer. I knew if they broke the ants would find their way inside. That's why I decided to go ahead and move them. I appreciate your advice too though. The first batch had an unhatched egg, but it was much cooler then.

tara