Helping abandoned baby birds
A few weeks ago, a robin built a nest on an electrical box on the side of the house. Soon we saw four little blue eggs in it and eventually they hatched. Over the next 1-2 weeks these babies grew like crazy!
Three days ago, we had a storm and the nest was knocked to the ground. What are the chances the babies survived? We couldn’t find them and the mother was no longer in the area. A neighbor also had a similar issue two weeks ago when she found a baby bird. She tried to nurse it but it died.
What do you recommend in these situations? If one were to try and rehabilitate a baby bird what do they feed them?
This time of year is a time for births. As to the survival of the baby birds, it comes down to whether or not they were old enough to fly. When did you see them last? Were they fully feathered and looking more mature? If so, it is conceivable they did survive but if not, my guess would be that some kind of predator may have gotten them or they may have just hidden and, without care, might have died. Chances of survival unfortunately can be slim in these situations.
What to do is a tough call. Begin by waiting an hour or two to see if the mother returns to care for its young. If not, my first suggestion is to take a baby bird to a bird rescue or rehabilitation center, if there is one in your area. These locations have the experience and the supplies to provide the babies with the best chance of survival.
If one needs to try and feed a baby bird on their own, there are several things to keep in mind. Baby birds need constant feeding throughout the day only slowing down at night. This means feeding 1-3 times an hour with younger birds needing more frequent feedings. The mother birds work very hard!
Do your best to ascertain the kind of bird it is since different birds need different diets. There is a lot of information on the internet as well but one can start with canned dog food, hard boiled eggs or moistened dry pet food carefully delivered to the baby birds. Consistency of the gruel is important so make sure the food is room temperature, mushy and soft, but not too wet. Avoid bird seed, bird food, milk, water, bread and even worms unless you know it is part of their regular diet.
Hopefully you will be better prepared now should you face this situation again.