June 26, 1986 - The Care and Feeding of Baby BirdsPage 8A /The Suffolk Times "June 26, 1986
The Care and Feeding.of Baby Birds
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
Everyone at one time or another
has found what seemed to be a flight-
less baby bird on their lawn, in their
driveway or on the road. By this time
of the year, most birds are on their
way to learning how to fly and coping
with the problems of survival. One
reason nature usually provides more
than one egg is because of all the pit-
falls they must face. Seldom does the
original number of eggs ever make it
to maturity. Eggs could be stolen by
crows or a marauding raccoon or even
destroyed by torrential downpours
and high winds. These are but a few
of the disasters that face those who
nest in this area.
Despite all this, most do make it. I
often get calls from concerned people
Focus on
Nature
who find a lone baby bird. They are
afraid that perhaps the neighbor's cat
might get it. They want to know what
they can do or what they can feed it.
Usually they have it in a box feeding
it bread and milk. As we shall see,
that is not the best food for baby
birds.
Mother Usually There
Like most youngsters, the young
birds have minds of their own and go
in opposite directions of their
brothers and sisters. The mother, in
turn, is busy feeding the others out
of sight and hearing of man,
nevertheless, very aware of the mis-
sing one you're concerned about.
Whenever you find one of these birds
and you are concerned about it being
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
MOTHER KNOWS BEST - -We often find a baby where it is or, should danger be imminent, move it
bird and try to help. The best thing to do is to leave it to a nearby tree or bush. A mother bird will soon find it.
taken by a cat or dog, I suggest you
pick it up carefully.put it in a nearby
shrub or tree. Put the bird over a limb
or branch so that it will grab with its
feet for security. Then slowly take
your hand away and it should stay
there. Don't worry. It will soon call
out like any hungry youngster for
its mother to come and feed it.
Of course, if there is definite proof
that the young has been orphaned, by
the parent being killed by a car or
caught by a cat or if some other ir-
reversible disaster has occurred, then
and only then, would I suggest you
try to raise the bird. I can assure you
it is a long and tedious job and some-
times ends in disappointment as we
are no sustitute for mother bird. Yet,
I can appreciate and encourage your
trying. You'll need patience and dedi-
cation but the rewards are most
gratifying. Remember though, that
keeping of native birds is strictly il-
legal.
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Feeding Baby Birds
Dr. Zitek, our local wildlife vet-
erinarian, suggests when feeding
baby birds to use the following for-
mula: six ounces homogenized milk,
one egg yolk. Take a complete diet
dog food, roll into pellets the size of
a pea and dip into the formufa.
The amount to feed a one -day to
one- week -old bird is one pellet every
30 minutes to one hour. For one-
week -old and older, four to six pellets
every hour to two hours. As they take
more, the feeding intervals will in-
crease.
Baby birds will gape when you tap
their nest box. Drop food into the
bird's open mouth. As eating progres-
ses and they begin to develop self -
feeding, sprinkle chick starter, bread
crumbs, wild bird seed, fruits, or cel-
ery on the cage floor. Oyster shell or
calcium grit should be added. Addi-
tional liquid can be given as a drop
off your finger or tooth pick or even
an eye dropper.
David Dowd, Jr.
Builder
Throughout the country we are
finding more and more people and or-
ganizations extending a helping hand
to our wildlife neighbors. Some people
have dedicated their lives to helping
injured and orphaned birds and ani-
mals. I know of one couple in our own
town who has turned over their home
to this time - consuming pursuit to
help the unfortunate. They are the
unsung heroes, the St. Francis of As-
sisis of today's world. It gives you a
warm feeling to know that there are
people who care, who are sensitive to
the needs of the natural world.
In closing, I want again to remind
those who are concerned about that
baby bird on their front lawn that
mothers know best and can take care
of their young better by far than you
and me. So if possible, always make
sure the bird is truly an orphan before
trying to take care of it. The first
thing to try is to put it on a bush and
let the mother take over. It's worked
most of the time for me.
Stirling
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