Participant Photos
upload and share photos
Photo Submission
Submitted By
Heart ForNature
Chenault Bridge Road, Danville, Boyle County, KY 40422, USA
Description
My mom was digging in the garden. Her shovel went into the ground with a CRUNCH! Then she saw something oozing out of the side of the hole. She finished uncovering the item. It was an egg! She came in and asked if any birds laid eggs in the ground. I said “not that I know of.” It’s too big to be a snake or turtle egg and also not round enough to be a turtle egg. WAY to big to be a salamander egg or anything like that. I’m pretty sure it is a Wild Turkey egg, but the only logical explanation of how it got there is that a fox, coyote, Coywolf, raccoon or something like that stole the egg from a turkey nest and buried it in the soft garden dirt so that other animals wouldn’t find it. Before I start digging gently with my hands, risking touching raw egg insides, do you think there are more, and if so, is there any possible way we can save them?
Category
Species
Tags
Urgent Help Needed!
Hi, If these are indeed eggs, and were found buried in dirt, there’s no chance they are still viable. There are some birds that have an egg-burying behavior, but they do not live in North America.Your hypothesis that another animal buried them is plausible. I think it’s safe to continue digging, but we advise doing so carefully just in case. If you find several eggs, it may be best to cover them and avoid that spot for a few weeks, just to be sure. While we agree these don’t look like turtle eggs, snake eggs on the other hand are more oblong similar to these, usually are buried in loose dirt or sand, and feel leathery on the outside.
I agree! I think they look more like snake eggs.
It looks like a old snake egg to me. I like snakes and I wonder what spices it is.
Thank you. I thought possibly snake eggs, but is there even a snake that can get that big? The coin next to it is a quarter. They are REALLY big for eggs, roughly twice the size of a small chicken egg. If it is still there, I will check and see the texture of the shell.
Spices? Oh I think you mean species!! lol! 🙂
I knew what he meant. I hate the auto-correction too.
I checked the softness of the shell, and it is definitely not leathery like a snake egg. I tapped it with the already-contaminated shovel and it broke like a bird egg.
I like snakes too, Micah, and enjoy studying them as well, (only not as much as birds), and it is definitely not a snake egg. It broke exactly how chicken eggs do when you tap them on the edge of a hard bowl to cook them.
I’m pretty sure it’s a turkey egg, guys. We have lots of coyotes and turkeys here, (I’ve seen them multiple times with my own eyes), my dad played with a fox once, Coywolves do mind being near humans at all, and I know that coyotes, foxes, and Coywolves like to bury their food and even urinate it, claiming it as their territory, and hiding it from any other animal that wants to eat it. Plus, I’ve seen lots of broken turkey eggs when my dad accidentally ran over a Wild Turkey nest one summer. I’m kind of hoping it’s not a turkey egg though, because if it is, the animal that stole and buried it is going to keep coming back to the nest until every last egg and chick is GONE! 😢😢😢
Hehe “spices” lol, huh bird egg. Some ones chicken house could have been raided by a Raccoon or skunk.
If it’s a chicken egg, that’s the biggest darn chicken egg I’ve ever seen! I’m tellin’ ya, I know my birds. And I’m pretty sure this is a Wild Turkey egg. I’ve seen a flock Wild Turkeys in our yard numerous times. I’ve even seen when the male shows off to attract a female. (It’s so cool!) And there’s at least one coyote that is a common visitor in The Ditch.
O.K.! We believe that you know what you’re talking about! Do you have an eBird account??
No. 😩
You should get one!
If it were smaller I’d say Cowbird, but since it’s so big I think Wild Turkey.