# Dove Egg Abandoned- What to do!!!!!!



## jsantillo

Hi everyone, I am new here. I live in Florida. A dove has laid an egg/eggs on my light fixture on the front porch, protected from all weather since its underneath a roof(smart dove!) So I assume the eggs were laid about 5 or 6 days ago because both the parents were sitting in the nest. Then all the sudden only one of the parents was in the nest for 2 or 3 days straight. Then 2 days ago, the mother left and never came back since. I looked in the nest, did not touch it, there is only one egg there and it is tucked almost underneath the nest where the mother probably can't find it or see it, so I am thinking she thinks something happened to her egg and is not coming back. I don't know what to do! I have been keeping the light on so it stays warm, maybe? I don't know if it even helps at all, but I am heart broken over this. She seems to be a young mother so I am not sure if she is experienced or not. Someone please tell me what to do here! Should I move the egg to the middle of the nest so she can find it IF she even comes back? Is it already dead or could it still be alive? And how long can an egg be left unattended before it dies in Florida, warm weather during the day and some wind at night. I am willing to do whatever it takes to help this egg survive if I can. Someone help please!!!!!


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## spirit wings

A few things could of happend. 
First time young hen with infertile egg
Or if fertile it did not hatch and she/they gave up like they are supposed to do.
A predator was spotted and they left town.. So to speak..lol.. Snakes seek birds nest and eggs, easy to spot for them under eaves of houses. 
Other predators possibly could of spotted it like jays and cow birds.
Or they just don't know what they are doing because they are young.
Any which way is a guess but it is slim the egg will hatch and it is probably already unviable. But for future reference they lay the eggs a day apart and usually may not sit the first one, so that can seem like abandoned egg. 
Mourning doves will lay again so this won't be their last, perhaps in another nest but there will be baby doves a plenty. You can just toss the egg in the woods for Mother Nature to consume.


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## jsantillo

Aww! I hate this! How long can an egg be left abandoned without it dying? Is it minutes hours or days? And how do you think the mothers are able to tell if its infertile or not? Especially if it's only been a few days.


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## Jay3

If they left their nest with eggs only a few days old, then they had a good reason to do that. Trying to save it is pointless. Baby doves are too hard to raise, even more so for someone inexperienced. Even if it were to hatch, which is unlikely, the babies will usually suffer and die. To much can go wrong, and it really isn't fair to put them through that. 

If you were poking around the nest, and keeping too close an eye on them, that would have made them abandon the nest. To wild birds, people are predators, and they wouldn't feel safe that you knew where their nest was.


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## spirit wings

jsantillo said:


> Aww! I hate this! How long can an egg be left abandoned without it dying? Is it minutes hours or days? And how do you think the mothers are able to tell if its infertile or not? Especially if it's only been a few days.


The answer depends on many factors but I would say if it was viable then it would not last more than a few days IF IT WAS INCUBATED. if it was not incubated then it could be viable for a week at which each day it gets less viable for hatching, but can be held suspended until it gets heat from incubation in which it would start developing. Development only happens when the egg has the right incubation . Not before.


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