Rock-A-Bye Baby (Orphanded Birds)
Ever have trouble getting out of bed? It's so nice and warm. The floor is so cold. You didn't really want to fight the traffic to get to work where undoubtedly somebody wants to dump all their problems on you. Guess we'll just stay in bed where it's safe and warm.
Well how would you like to be tossed out of bed with hardly any clothes on, fall the equivalent of 288 feet, probably land on your head, miss your breakfast, and , even worse, be the featured item on someone else's breakfast menu? That about sums up the fate of numerous young birds during the windy days of Spring and early Summer. The raptors (like hawks and owls) seem to be especially plagued by this season.
Maybe you would like to help these foundlings get a good start on life. First we have to let you know that it is illegal to possess any bird of prey without a permit. But let's face facts; trying to put a hawk or an owl back in the nest is a most formidable, and potentially dangerous, task. If this is not possible, your best bet is to get the infant to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center like All Animals Exotic or Small. But you may have to care for the nestling for a day or two until arrangements can be made so here are a few guidelines.
Drafts and temperatures need to be closely regulated to achieve optimum chances for success. There should be no drafts at all. Of course the air around the bird needs to circulate but it should not create any breeze that can be detected with a soft feather. Temperature varies with the age of the chick. With redtail hawks, for example, 87.98 degrees is preferred for the first three days. For days five and six 80.96 degrees is optimum then it drops to 77 degrees for days seven and eight.
|
What's for dinner? Optimum diet for the first three days of life should consist of ground muscle, liver, heart, and brains of birds and small mammals. Two common questions we get are, "Is it a boy or girl?" and "how long before it gets its feathers?" Since boys and girls look alike (sounds like some humans), the main indicator or sex is size. Nope, guess again; female raptors are almost always larger than males. The point where nestlings replace their downy coat with juvenile feathers is called fledging. When these feathers are completely in, the bird can fly. Owls take about two months, redtail hawks take about forty-two days, and sparrow hawks take less than thirty days to reach this momentous occasion. |
|
To find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area, please see the links underneath Animal Welfare in the Directory section. |
From the fourth day on, whole ground birds and mammals should be used but do not include skin or large intestine. Please note that some of these ingredients may not be readily available at your local grocery. Feed each little bird until it no longer shows an interest in that particular feeding session. Repeat feedings whenever the little beggar acts hungry (usually becomes very vocal).