HOUSING
Down-covered young birds should be kept in a cardboard box indoors away from pets and small children and out of direct sun or drafts. Keep the temperature in the box between 80ºand 90º F. A lamp with a 40 or 60 watt bulb should provide enough heat, but don't put the lamp directly over the bird. This won't be necessary if the bird is fully feathered.
Cover the box to cut down on disturbance to the bird, eliminate drafts, and prevent the bird from getting out of the box. Put an artificial nest made of a cottage cheese or similar container lined with paper towels in the box. This will support the bird. When the bird begins to get out of this "nest", provide a perch or two for it to rest on. Do not use a wire cage--birds often will get excited and damage their feathers on wire so that they won't be able to fly properly later.
FEEDING
Nestlings require frequent feedings-- as much as every 30 minutes from dawn to dark. One person should take care of the bird to avoid excessive human contact. (Don't tame the bird!). Food should be at room temperature and of soft consistency. The bird shouldn't need water if the food is fairly moist.
Begin feeding young birds with an eyedropper. Fill the dropper so there are no air bubbles. If the bird won't open its mouth when food is presented, gently open the beak by slipping a fingernail between the upper and lower jaws and prying them apart. Put the dropper in the back of the bird's throat, behind the tongue, and slowly squeeze the dropper. Be careful not to get fluid in the breathing tube in the floor of the mouth just behind the tongue. Clean food from the beak and feathers with a moist tissue.
Later the bird will take thicker food and will eventually open the beak when it sees food or it may even squawk when it wants food. Stick the food to the end of a pointed popsicle stick or a drinking straw cut on a slant and give it to the bird. Do not use metal tweezers--they may damage the bird's tender mouth. As the bird grows it will eat more, but less frequently.
FOOD
Birds have a high metabolic rate and a high energy requirement. Bread crumbs and milk are not sufficient. Most baby birds are unable to feed themselves; normally the parents feed them, so putting bird seeds or worms in the box does no good. You have to put the food into the baby. At first you may have to pry open the beak to do this, but soon the bird will realize that you are the source of food (Momma) and will open its beak and squawk whenever it is hungry or when it hears you approach. Feed it when it asks for it. When it has enough it will collapse and sleep until it is hungry again.
Emergency Food
When a bird is first found, it likely is hungry and dehydrated. You may make a quick food that will keep the bird alive until you can prepare a complete diet. The following recipes are for emergency use only and should not be used for more than a few hours since they are only "energy" foods, not "growing" foods.
Mix 4 tsp. water and 1 tsp. sugar - OR
2 tsp. water and 1 tsp. white Karo syrup - OR
2 egg yolks and 2 oz. boiled and cooled Coca Cola.
Feed the mixture with an eyedropper. Fill the dropper, poke it down the bird's throat (past the entrance to the air pipe or trachea), and pump it in. Take care to keep the food from soiling the bird's feathers. Once it dries, it will be very difficult to remove without harming the bird.
COMPLETE DIETS
The majority of birds can be classified in two groups: meat eaters and seed eaters. Basic diets for these are listed below with suggestions for special foods for different species of birds. The sooner you identify the bird, the sooner you can provide the best diet. The basic foods mentioned in these diets can be classified into two groups:
MEAT:
* P/D dogfood (canned and available from most veterinarians),
* dry puppy kibbles (have to be soaked in water),
* boiled chicken, strained beef baby food,
* hard boiled chicken egg yolk,
* live insects such as flies and mealworms.
GRAIN:
* high protein dry baby cereal ,
* wheat germ,
* corn or oat meal that has been powdered down in a blender.
MEAT and GRAIN proportions are generally:
INSECT EATER BIRDS -- 1 part MEAT to 2 parts GRAIN
SEED EATER BIRDS -- 1 part MEAT to 4 parts GRAIN
When MEAT is asked for in the diet, you can pick any MEAT from the MEAT group. You can then add in, the right proportions , any GRAIN from the GRAIN group. For example, a seed-eater diet could be 1 part P/D dogfood and 5 parts wheat germ. It is suggested that you can vary this diet as much as possible as long as you stay within the proper framework. For example the next time you mix up a batch of formula for your seed eater bird, you might use 1 part boiled chicken and 5 parts high protein baby cereal. Variety is the spice of life, and also keeps young birds healthy.
A good pinch of VET-NUTRI, a Squib vitamin/mineral supplement available at most veterinarians, should be added to each new batch of food you mix. Sprinkle over and mix in. Mix food daily; never mix more than you can use in a day's time. Otherwise it may sour. Supplement these basic diets with frequent little goodies whenever possible. Normal diets are listed below, so use your imagination. Those occasional tidbits of natural food help. Remember that young birds eat large amounts of food and at frequent intervals. Some consume an amount equal to their own weight each day. Just leaving food in the box or feeding two or three times a day is not enough!
(normal diet is seeds and insects. Feed INSECT-EATER DIET: A successful mix is: one ounce GRAIN mixed with water, and one teaspoon strained beef baby food, and one thin slice of banana. Supplement diet with mealworms.)
WATER
When the bird is eating solid food on its own, it will need water. You can drop a little water on its beak or into its mouth until it catches on or ÒteachÓ it to drink by gently dipping its beak into water, then releasing it immediately. Keep a small dish of water in the box. A large dish will create a hazard for the bird and likely cause a mess in the box.
SELF-FEEDING
The bird will learn to feed on its own. Fruit- and seed-eaters will learn to feed themselves if you place a soft piece of fruit (apple or banana) on a flat surface in front of the bird and gently press the bird's beak into the fruit. Bits of fruit will stick to the beak and the bird will eat them. Repeat this procedure at each feeding until the bird feeds by itself. You may put small bird seeds in for seed-eaters to practice on.
Insect-eaters can be given mealworms or other small crawling insects in a similar manner. Usually the bird quickly learns to pick up any crawling animal. If the bird is reluctant to feed on its own, wait a day or so and try again. Feeding is a matter of maturity, the instinctive behavior will not begin until the bird is old enough.
Flying
You don't have to teach the bird to fly. When it is old enough, it will fly instinctively. You may move the bird to a larger box to give it more room. Put several sticks or dowels through the box for perches. Young birds may begin to fly a week or two before they can feed them selves, so don't rush them. Don't let the bird fly freely in the house! It is likely to get trapped by furniture, windows, and cats.
RELEASING THE BIRD
Once the bird is feeding itself on its natural diet, you should release it in a familiar area where it can be protected from cats and dogs until it can fend for itself. An outside aviary is ideal for this purpose. Provide natural food and after a week leave the door open during the day and close it at night for protection. It may take several weeks for the bird to adjust to the outdoors and stop returning to the cage for food. Give the bird time and continue to provide food. Don't handle or talk to the bird during this time; you should be breaking the ties between you and the bird.
Tl;dr You bastards wanna take care of it? read the whole damn thing!
Say ohai to Franky.
Ohai Franky :D
