what to do with a baby bird too little to fly on our front stoop? well, now he's in a box. ALEX!!!
the parents are looking all over, but can't find him in the box out front. i'm thinking maybe toss him to the stray cats out back. is that mean? (lb)
It was out of the box and hopping around when I went out for dinner. Not much you can do in a case like this; too young to fly but it can't get back to the nest hole and even if the parents come down to feed it this is a tough neighborhood and full of chances. Sad truth is most birds don't make it through the first year. Us higher mammals are used to thinking all offspring survive, but that's not the way of the world...
I've had 4 baby birds on my stoop this spring. 3 had no feathers. One had the beginnings of feathers. When I was young and found one I would put it in a box and feed it wonder bread dipped in water with a tweezer. My instincts were to do the same this year but research told me otherwise. It said put the bird back in the nest. I did to only find it on the stoop the next day dead. After trying it with the first 2 birds and not succeeding I gave up on the next two. Just left them there until their death. Maybe the wonder bread thing would have been best after all. The birds when I was young would live at least a week or three.
I tried the Wonderbread thing as a kid, baby bird died in the box every time. Steve's sister successfully raised a baby crow, still lives with her.
damn those close-eyed transparent-skinned paper-boned weak-necked gaping-mouthed squiggly little monsters. I had a feed the baby bird that eventually died episode when I was a kid too, and am still having the nightmares.
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- linda 6-20-2008 10:36 pm
the parents are looking all over, but can't find him in the box out front. i'm thinking maybe toss him to the stray cats out back. is that mean? (lb)
- Skinny 6-20-2008 10:52 pm [add a comment]
It was out of the box and hopping around when I went out for dinner. Not much you can do in a case like this; too young to fly but it can't get back to the nest hole and even if the parents come down to feed it this is a tough neighborhood and full of chances. Sad truth is most birds don't make it through the first year. Us higher mammals are used to thinking all offspring survive, but that's not the way of the world...
- alex 6-21-2008 2:36 am [add a comment]
I've had 4 baby birds on my stoop this spring. 3 had no feathers. One had the beginnings of feathers. When I was young and found one I would put it in a box and feed it wonder bread dipped in water with a tweezer. My instincts were to do the same this year but research told me otherwise. It said put the bird back in the nest. I did to only find it on the stoop the next day dead. After trying it with the first 2 birds and not succeeding I gave up on the next two. Just left them there until their death. Maybe the wonder bread thing would have been best after all. The birds when I was young would live at least a week or three.
- ken 6-21-2008 2:36 am [add a comment]
I tried the Wonderbread thing as a kid, baby bird died in the box every time. Steve's sister successfully raised a baby crow, still lives with her.
- mb 6-21-2008 2:09 pm [add a comment]
damn those close-eyed transparent-skinned paper-boned weak-necked gaping-mouthed squiggly little monsters. I had a feed the baby bird that eventually died episode when I was a kid too, and am still having the nightmares.
- sally mckay 6-24-2008 9:42 pm [add a comment]