about an egg

Question
hi diane its my first question well i went to the pet store to look at the puppies and i told the petstore worker that one of there cockatiels had had an egg so they gave it to me to see if i could hatch it because the mom wasnt laying on it well i dont kno if it wasnt fertile or if it was b\c they didnt have a nesting box i dont want to throw it away if theirs hope for it so what do i do

Answer
Hello Brooke.  Thank you for your post.
First of all, if the mother of the egg had sat on the egg for some time, then if it is fertile, it probably wouldn't hatch, but it's worth checking to see if it is fertile.
You can tell this by "candling" the egg.  This is done by holding the egg to the light of a flashlight.  If you see red lines, like veins, then it is fertile and you can try to hatch it.  If it looks clear inside, then it is not fertile and it won't hatch, so it can be discarded.
Just make sure that while you are candling the egg that you don't hold the egg too close to the light or for too long.  If it is fertile, it is possible to actually cook the baby inside if the egg gets too warm.

Best of luck to you on this endeavor.

Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna