Expert: Roger Lederer - 6/6/2009

Question
I have successfully raised 2 robins from fledgling age in the past. I am now
faced with one that was seen emerging from its shell, on the ground, with no
parents in sight. We think a blue jay stole and dropped it. Help. It is totally
naked, alive and being kept very warm. My question is what should I feed it and
when? I picked up baby food, chicken. Should food be immediate?

Answer
Raising baby birds from fledging is difficult, but raising them from hatching is very difficult. Its more than just keeping them alive; if they don't get the right nutrients they will become malformed. The bird needs to eat right away and will eat about every 30 minutes.
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 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.

Feed it when it asks for it. When it has enough it will collapse and sleep until it is hungry again.
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.

You should feed it a mixture of grain and meat - one part meat to two parts grain.

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.

Thanks for your concern and good luck.