What can I feed a baby bird???

Question

I found a baby bird that had fallen from its nest, I couldnt put it back as the nest was on top of a building, I also couldn't leave it where it was as it was on a pavement in a busy town centre. I have been giving it brown bread dipped in water - but it doesn't seem to want to eat very much. i'm not sure what type of bird it is - I thought it was a sparrow but I looked it up on google and its similar but does not have a yellow beak. it hardly ever makes any noise, and seems to sleep mostly during the day. the bird is still tiny although it has most of its fethers already.

Answer 1

soak dog food in water and feed it to him on your finger just this last weekend i had a baby fird that had some feathers i started off feeding him the dog food then would crush up small insects for him, i brought him to  a sactuary  and gave him to them to take care of because the chances of a baby bird surviving are slim to none so it would be best to find a sanctuary or find someone who is experienced at it

Answer 2

What I would do is go to the pet store or even a bait shop and go buy some worms and crickets. They have alot a protein and are more fit for a growing baby bird. I would try feeding it atleast one every half an hour. I have watched birds in the wild feeding their babies this stuff, and before they give it to them they "tenderise" it by beating on something, so I would do that too. Just make sure it's good and dead. The little one should grow like a weed.

Answer 3

I would advise calling your local wildlife rehabilitation center. If you cannot find one, call a local vet or animal control office, they should have a contact number.

Feeding baby birds is difficult and time consuming, even more so if you don't know what kind it is and what it eats. Unless you are willing to get up at dawn, and feed the bird every 1/2 - 1 hour, clean up after it, etc., until the sun goes down, it is best to take it to a rehabber. They will know what kind it is, have the proper food for it, and be able to put it in with others of its kind, if it is a flocking bird.

Please consider contacting a rehabber. If you are truly interested in helping raise orphaned birds, perhaps you could volunteer for them.

Answer 4

Please do not feed the bird, or attempt to care for it on your own.  You have already made too many mistakes.  

If you cannot return it to the parents, please contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Check this link for worldwide listings:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact....

In the US, rehabilitation is regulated by the Federal government and State DNR (Dept of Natural Resources), or Dept of Fish and Game. Services are free to the public, as all native wild birds are protected by federal law.

There are several sites with listing of rehabbers, although the easiest way to find one is to search Yahoo! or Google for "wildlife rehabilitation" + your state (try both full and abbreviated). Also search on DNR or DFG + rehabilitation + your state.

You may be able to find a contact for a nearby rehabber through your local humane society, animal shelter, or police department.

Links are also available on these sites:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/

http://www.greenpeople.org/sanctuary.htm

http://www.iwrc-online.org/

http://wrcmn.org/public/default.asp

http://www.wildliferehabilitators.com/li...

Answer 5

If its eating something thats a good sign, keep a small amount of food and water with it, it really needs a mother to show it how to fly and also how to sing/chirp!

Yes birds only make noise if there mother shows them how to... just like humans they dont talk unless they are taught, the ebst thing is to get a tape of birds making noise and it will copy... try feeling it small bits of worms etc like its mother would.

The best thing to do is contact a vet or other animal care center and ask what you can do.

So far you've done a good job and its cute that your caring for a bird.

Its extremely difficult to identify birds at a young age but as you found it in a city center it could be a sparrow but has not yet got colour in its beak or a pigeon as these are the most common birds you will encounter.

Answer 6

You said several things that suggest the bird is doomed.  Baby birds of all species squawk when they are hungry, but you say yours make little noise.  You also suggest it has little appetite. Baby birds eat constantly, so yours is not in good shape.  Baby birds eat regurgitated seed or insects, not bread.  Things aren't looking good.

It is always best to leave a baby bird where you find it.  Even out of the nest, the parents will hear its cries and feed it.  It is common for people to think birds are abandoned, but the parents are just afraid of the human "rescuer."  Left alone, the parents will return and feed it.  But "rescued" birds will usually die.  Put it under a nearby bush and the parents will come to it.

This is particularly true if it has most of its feathers.  Leave it alone, always.

You have probably doomed this bird, I'm sorry to say.  Maybe other people will read this and leave baby birds alone.  I'm sorry for the bad news, but that's just the fact.

On top of that, it is likely that keeping the bird is a federal offense.

Several people here have given very bad advice.  Yes, birds might eat bread and dog food, but birds will eat styrofoam, too.  It's not good for them.  A baby human will eat candy, but that's not a very good diet, is it? (It's also absurd to think that bird parents "teach" babies to fly.  I have raised many birds who can fly, and I didn't teach them.)

What do you do now?  Impossible to tell.  It either needs a seed diet or a insect diet, but you don't know which.  The reason it doesn't want to eat very much is the parents put the food in its mouth, they don't just leave a dish of bread nearby.  Tap the top of his beak gently with an eyedropper or chopstick or something.  If he opens his mouth, then put food in there.  By your description, I'm sorry to say, the bird's chances are very slim.

Next time, leave the baby bird where you find it.  Nature knows best.

Answer 7

ok you need to find out what kind it is. and stop feeding it soaked bread. Very bad for them . Try calling the local animal shelter to see if they have a wildlife rescue center in your area most cities do. If you think its some kind of song bird then try bugs beetles worms etc........... You can tear them up like a beetle in small pieces then place in birds mouth cut worms into 3 or 4 pieces and feed to them. But I would suggest calling and getting this guy professional help over any thing else., Always leave a bird where you found it. Mom's always find their babies. Unless its in immediate danger then try and relocate it to a safe area near the area found again a mother always finds her babies. Good luck but it does not sound good.

Answer 8

they also have wildlife refuge places  it will be in the phone book where they take care of baby birds and baby squirrells

good luck friend they will take better care of the bird than you can they eat every 3 hours or so

Answer 9

Put some seeds or worms near the bird's mouth and see if it eats them; if it does, then the bird is already weaned and is not exactly a baby anymore. If not, then here's what to do:

Using a hammer, bend a spoon vertically so it sort of resembles a parrot's lower beak. Otherwise use a syringe, the type used for feeding medication to babies is good--but wash it thoroughly with hot water! Then get some (no sugar added) oatmeal or cereal of a gravy-like consistency, and feed it to the bird using the spoon or syringe. You'll have to feed a bird whenever its crop, the wiggly pouch under its neck, is deflated. The bird is well-fed whenever the pouch is reasonably round, but don't overfeed the bird, the pouch doesn't have to be puffed.

Judging by what you say the bird looks like, I'd say it's a fledgling and will have to be fed 6-8 hours around the clock, but when will a bird's crop deflates all depends on the bird's age and appetite, so don't take my word for granted. And food temperature has to be between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius; wrong food temperature kills baby birds. I'd personally let the bird goes nature's way (to a predator) because feral birds can transmit diseases such as mites, parasites etc. on to you. The best thing to do, although expensive for a stray, is to take it to an avian vet.

If raising the bird yourself, all other rules of bird-keeping apply, such as no PTFE (non-stick) cookware and appliances that have to be heated (irons) should be used around the bird, as they can be deadly (esp. to babies); and also don't use ammonia-based cleaners near the bird or let it play with anything toxic. Visit www.flyinggems.com to find out a list of things toxic to birds.

Hope that helps...