If you touch a chick will the mother kill it?

Answer 1

Absolutely not! The old wives tale states that if you touch a baby bird, an egg or even a nest that the mother bird will stop feeding the chick, kick the egg out of the nest or abandon the nest. This is a myth, and is completely false.

That doesn't mean that there isn't some bird out there who's done it before, or even that a human witnessed it, but it's a safe bet that the reasons it may have been done were other factors. Most baby birds in the wild smell worse than your grubby little fingers, so don't worry about that.


I do not recommend going out and touching birds and nests or eggs for sport now since it won't affect the feeding of the chick, it is wise to let them be. Some mothers will peck at you or attack you if you get too close to their nest. So unless the baby bird is in danger or potential danger, such as falling out of a tree on the side of the road or something, leave them be! But don't ground Johnny for a week because he came home and told you (mom) that he touched a baby bird! Be happy he's curious about nature and not playing Video Games!!

Answer 2

Some children are told that touching a bird's egg or a nest will cause the mother to abandon the baby birds or eggs. This is FALSE. It is possible to move a birds nest or touch the eggs, but for safety reasons (such as avoidance of diseases or parasites) you are advised NOT to touch them.

However! Do NOT keep a nest within the reach of any animals such as cats and raccoon. I would advise you in this situation to carefully locate or build a safer location and CAREFULLY move the nest to a safer location while wearing gloves. Also if a baby bird or egg falls out of a nest, just place it back into the nest and wash your hands.

Also! If the mother is not around, she may be nearby, so don't loiter around the nest either because that will discourage the mother from returning to the nest at that time, which can be fatal to eggs since they need to be at a constant temperature (incubation) and therefore the mother cannot leave the nest for very long.

Furthermore-- DO NOT attempt to keep baby eggs or chicks as pets because it disrespects and messes with nature. baby birds are meant to be taken care of by their mothers. If you find a nest with a dead mother, quickly get the eggs to an animal specialist with an incubator or the eggs will become cold and die. Unless you are a specialist and have the right equipment, taking care of baby birds/ eggs is a very BAD idea.

Answer 3

No, but please don't do it anyway.

If you touch their unhatched eggs they will leave them.

Scientists studying birds often check eggs for viability, and to do this they have to pick them up. Birds will not normally abandon their eggs so easily.

Plus birds have poor smell but if you scare the bird bad enough they might leave(don't try it wise guy).

Answer 4

Yes, if the chick is still dependent on it's mother no

Answer 5

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