Expert: Julia Booth - 8/14/2008

Question
I found a baby swallow whos nest had fallen through. no adults about.
so i took her home. she has been doing well but recently she seems to be getting week. her feathers are ok but in part are starting to strip, what you can see is the feather it self then white substance then the bare stem of it. this is happening to the left wing and the tail feathers. it's not really standing anymore either. I have been feeding it mealworms and the odd fly (dam hard to catch) can you advise as to what is happening and what can be done.
I have been told that local bird people are not that caring towards baby birds :(

Answer
Well animal control won't be caring. You need to contact your local wildlife rehabber -Here's a directory. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contactA.htm

If you can't find one close to you, then this might be helpful: http://aviary.owls.com/baby_bird.html

If you can't locate a rehabber in your area, consider taking it to a vet.

But understand that even if you do everything "right" the baby still might die and you shouldn't lose any sleep over that. Not to sound cruel, but 80 percent of the baby birds born in a season are dead before the next season comes. If not, there would be birds everywhere.

Swallows are probably one of the most difficult to hand feed. Generally, baby birds need to be fed every 70-90 minutes. That's hard work. Swallows are usually ready to fledge at two weeks after hatching. You've got him on the right food. Just make sure no water, because he can drown.

I recommend just continuing with the mealworms, make sure they're cut into small enough pieces.

Is he chirping for food or opening his beak expectantly? If not, he might just be too sick or weak to revive at this point. The fact that he can't even stand concerns me. Usually after a week, they are able to support themselves.

I'm not sure about the white substance on the wing. Is it dry or powdery? Could it be pus from an infection? It could be mites. Feathers usually fall out (aside from natural molting) when the bird is either nervous or suffering from some dietery imbalance.

Julia