The Grass Doctor - baby bird!?

baby bird!?

I found a baby bird in my yard in some tall grass. I watched it all day & no other birds came to feed it, so I decided to try to raise it. I have had it for two days now & Iv'e been feeding it wet cat food (meow mix). It has been eating, chirping, & hopping around, so I'm guessing it healthy. It can't fly yet & it's already lost most of the fuzz & has started to get it's feathers, other wise it's a fledgling. I was wondering if it would just stop eating the cat food & start eating seeds when it gets to old for cat food or will I have to slowly start feeding it seeds until it gets used to them??? please don't post answers such as take it to a wildlife rescue center or something like that! thanks! The bird is a blue jay!!!

Public Comments

Not all birds eat seeds. What about worms and such. You will only know by trying.
Sorry, I have to post the answer you do not want to hear. If you live in the US, it is illegal to keep it, unless it is an invasive species, such as an English House Sparrow or a European Starling. All native wild birds are protected, and you need the proper licenses to keep them. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. You can find one here: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm Go to U.S. Contacts (by State): and click on the letters (A-M or N-W) to find your state. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator has the training and the resources to feed and care for a wild animal and make sure it does not become a pet. It can be returned to the wil when it is old enough.
If you can find the nest, put the baby back in. Contrary to popular mythology, the parent(s) cannot "smell" the fact that a human has touched the baby. If the bird has all or most of its feathers (as opposed to downy feathers only), there’s a good chance that it’s still under the care of its parents. If it is in the early stages of learning to fly, it may simply have fluttered to the ground, and its parent(s) are not far away. If it is otherwise healthy, leave it alone. If you cannot locate the nest, or cannot put the baby back in for some reason, contact a zoo, vet, or animal rehab center to be put in touch with someone who is authorized to care for injured/orphaned wild birds. It is illegal to keep most wild birds in captivity in the U.S. unless you are a licensed rehabilitator. Until you can get it to that person, keep it WARM and hydrated; dry cat food that has been softened with warm water is a good temporary diet - be sure it is SOFT. The best place to keep the bird is in a cardboard box (not a bird cage); keep it in a warm area, away from foot traffic, children, and pets. The bird is not a toy for you to play with, nor a pet to keep; it's a wild animal, and you should be treating it as such.
You can purchase baby bird feed at a pet store to feed it and be sure it gets the proper nutrients. You said it is hopping around, so I would find small insects and let it try and catch them to eat them. Encourage wild behavior asap. Good Luck.
First of all I want to thank you for saving this beautiful baby bird. Not many of us know that our wild birds are in dire need of help. Wildlife biologist's still don't know whats killing them off but anything we do is better than nothing. I would have skipped the cat food it would seem kinda strange to hear a Blue Jay meowwing... lol pun intended. If the future oif you don't have a good commercial baby bird hand feeding formula (heated to 105-107 degrees) try "Ensure" you know that old folks milk shake? This will hold you over till you find a feed and grain store or a good pet store with the proper formula. Baby birds need a certain fat and protein content to survive as well as the necessary "other stuff" (I won't go into here but with research you'll see what they need.) Fledge means they CAN FLY so I think what your trying to say is that your baby is trying. It takes more than just feathers to fly for a baby. It takes someone to teach it. Since it's missing both mom and dad you'll have to teach it "safely" and that means to provide a soft place to make mistakes. Inside this baby bird he/she wants to soooo bad, it is instinct. As for the question you had about seed, yes you should start it off but use spray millet soaked in warm (see temps above) water first. This seed is small enough so they to learn to digest it and then move up to a good quality ground up seed mix (de-hulled). I'm not going to lecture you about what you should or shouldn't do, your obviously a good natured person who is trying to help with this babies exsistence. Contrary to most beliefs wild birds "select" only those strong enough to survive and mom's and dad's deal with this issue in a very straight forward way (getting rid of those they feel will not survive and either kick them out or don't feed them.) What I want to say is chances are this baby will not survive and don't feel bad if you don't suceed. At least you gave it a shot and that's all we should hope for. Keep up the good work! Dutch
You can go ahead and give him seed, and especially millet. When he's ready he'll start to nibble at it, but weaning can take a long time, so cut back on the hand feeding as he gets older, but don't stop until you know he's eating enough seed. You can buy commercial baby bird formula at pet stores which will give him a more balanced diet. For extra protein, you might want to leave some of the cat food with him and he can practice eating on his own. Any vet would be glad to give advice on caring for him and feeding him. It sounds like you're doing a great job and will soon be able to release a strong, healthy bird! You will never be arrested for doing good. I've helped many animals from hummingbirds to baby sparrows to baby squirrels and they haven't arrested me yet!
It is illegal. I'm sure it must seem like fun for you, but really, give the bird over to the professionals. The cat food is actually good for it (Don't listen to Dutch) as it's full of nutrients, but for a young bird/fledgling, you should also blend in egg yolk, small smounts of yoghurt, and vitamins. (These are more precise and hard to obtain...) Baby birds are slowly phased into eating a variety of other foods, more than just seeds. They should also be fed earthworms, fruit, and mealworms. Mealworms in particular are very good. I know all this because I am a volunteer at Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research. If you want to raise baby birds, do it here. (We're located on the north tip of delaware, on the east coast.) Don't try taking care of baby birds on your own, as you really don't know what's best for the birds. Here, you can take care of dozens of baby birds, and you'll actually know that what you're doing is for the best. Really, you should know what's right. Good luck!