4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Electricbarbarella]

hoping someone might know, I know it is not exactley chicken related.

it is tiny, eyes still closed and totally bald, I have it in a show box on top of a nappy, covered in cotton wool pads, the shoe box is on a hot water bottle.

it is openeing it's beak, what can I feed it, could a make up a layers porridge really runny for now?

[Suzy]

I suppose that's better than nothing as it'll be staving.

 

Maybe you could dig up some worms from the garden? That's what it would get in the wild isn't it?

 

Hope it survives!

[Lewis]

The hot water bottle is a good thing and trying to keep it warm.

I'm not sure about feeding, I've seen on the tele and they syringe feed little chicks, and they also get worms and dangle them above the bird with tweezers to get them to eat.

 

The shock of being inside won't be a good thing, but its all you can do to give it a chance. Is there a nest near where you found it? Maybe it fell out.

I've heard of parents throwing chicks out of the nest which are ill or unlikely to survive/

 

How big is it?

[Blackrocksrock]

did a cat bring it in? Maybe ;have a look for a nest nearby to the house - Is it nesting in the chimney?

[Electricbarbarella]

there is a nest next door, nother dead chick in front of their house.

I have tried putting it down but I cant leave it as there are too many cats and the mum wont come if I am there will she.

It was in my dining room so not too many nests there.

It is happily taking the mash and water mix.

[dame egna]

We found a baby bird a while ago - you are supposed to feed them mashed up cat food, and apparently you aren't supposed to give them water as it will kill them! Nor are you suuposed to feed them worms when they are really tiny However, I'm no expert - it's just what I read on the net somewhere.....

[Electricbarbarella]

thanks, cat food no problem, blinkin cat deserves to give it some of her food.

[Blackrocksrock]

Well my robins are feeding their little ones on mushed up worms and I see them cutting them into pieces before they head to the nest so.......... Keepm going you will be doing well if you can keep it alive - bless it

[Electricbarbarella]

It's just died I feel excessively sad about it.

[Joojoo]

So sorry to hear about the poor little bird I'm sure you did your best for it

[tooties]

aw, sorry to hear that

 

Often the bird will die from just the shock if a cats had it, even if its not harmed.

 

A friend of mines daughter found a baby bird a few yrs ago. She had to feed it cat food from a straw every 2 hrs. Eventually it grew up but wouldn't fly off to fend for itself. They had to drive miles away and let it go in a park, running back to the car. She was very upset but knew her cat would have it if it stayed at home with her.

[Egluntyne]

That is a shame.

[Lewis]

I'm sorry, at least you tried to give it a chance.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

What a pity . At least you tried .

[Chucky Mama]

Only just seen your post and am sorry to hear that your baby bird didn't make it. I thought that I would post for anyone else facing a similar problem at this time of year. Featherless babies are often not viable unfortunately. The best thing to feed baby birds from my experience is chopped worms or if you can bear it chopped maggots T Cat food cat be used as a back up if necessary but is not as good. They do have a habit of doing well for a few days and then dying suddenly though. I know that is was not possible in this case but the best thing to do generally is to get them back to a nest or to a safe place where the parents can and will feed them on the ground (would not feed a tiny unfeathered baby- they would leave to die). Birds do not have a good sense of smell so handling would not stop the parents accepting the baby back to the nest.

[Ziggy]

I know this thread is a little old, but I've only caught up with it...

We've had numerous baby (and not so baby) birds in our garden or house, and to be honest we haven't managed to save a single one (one was not so young and was let out to fly again and so I don't know how that one went, I like to think it survived but I have my doubts).

After spending quite a few hours on the internet each time trying to figure what to do or what had gone wrong the previous time, one thing that seems to stand out is that if a bird has been in touch with a cat's saliva, it is most likely to die unless immediate treatment is given by a vet. Cat saliva contains a bacteria that kills birds (and in my experience probably mice as well, though hard to say if it is shock or poisoning sometimes), so once a bird has been carried in a cat's mouth, it's kind of sadly condemned, unless antibiotics are given... unfortunately, a trip in a car to a vet and treatment can also kill a wild bird from shock...

I had been surprised by how often I'd manage to rescue a bird from my cats, and put it somewhere safe (couldn't put it back outside as the cats would be straight back on it), and the bird would seem fine for a while and then die in a few minutes... I guess the saliva thing might be the problem.

I still can't help trying to do something, and when it happens I try to give the baby bird or mouse a quiet, darkish place, hoping that even if it's likely to die, it's less traumatic like that than in a garden with predators rounding around you... If the bird appears to stand a chance, I give it some food (didn't know about water killing them... never read that before either, good to hear about it, will be careful in the future!!), but again I find the stress on a wild bird of being handled and fed by a human is quite something!!

 

The cats have bells on their collars, and that helps with flying birds, but unfortunately doesn't help much with babies in nest...

[Groovychook]

It is worth having a go sometimes & trying to save baby birds...

 

We once found a baby sparrow that had fallen out of its nest. We borrowed a bird cage and fed it every 15 minutes with dried insects (bought from a pet shop) soaked in water on the end of a biro lid! Apparently the baby bird thinks it's is its mothers beak!

Anyway, he survived and a week later, was released into the garden

He used to come and sit on a branch by the window for a few days and wait for the occasional feed from his biro!

[Torrin]

It's nice to hear taht at least one has survived!!

 

We had one a couple of years ago and a nice lady from the RSPCA told me to try and locate it's nest to pop it back, but failing that to put it in a box where you think the nest MIGHT be and leave it (out of reach of cats obviously).

 

The theory is that the mummy bird will hear it and come and get it or feed it when you've gone.

 

Sounds sensible, but needless to say the one we found died. Didn't tell the kids that of course! Got rid of the dead bird when they weren't looking and showed them the empty box! "Oh look, mummy bird must have come and found it!"

[chooklady]

It is distressing to find baby birds, unfortunately extremely young ones like yours don't stand much of a chance once out of their nest and if you don't know where the nest is to pop it back it usually does have a sad ending.

 

Fledglings are best left where you find them, if they are in danger just move them enough to get them out of danger and then leave them alone, the parent birds will soon be back to feed the youngsters.

 

My neighbours call me the bird lady, they always come and get me if their cats have caught birds etc. I rescued a green woodpecker back in the winter when it was snowing, that my neighbours cat had caught it survived the night and we released it in the morning. That was lovely.