How to Feed an Injured and Abandoned Baby Bird

Every spring, someone is bound to find a baby bird out of the nest. A nestling is a baby bird without any feathers and is extremely young; it requires significant care and a special diet. A fledgling is a slightly older baby bird with feathers and usually are about ready to fly. Fledglings have a similar diet, but usually don't require as much care before they are ready to fly on their way. If you find a baby bird, be prepared to spend every half hour of the next week or two feeding it.

Things You'll Need

  • Tissues
  • Paper towels
  • Heating pad
  • Dog kibble
  • Water
  • Sugar
  • Tweezers
  • 1/4 cup lean ground beef
  • 1 tsp. cottage cheese
  • 1 tsp. sand
  • 1/4 hard-boiled egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup canned wet dog food
  • 1 tsp. dried turtle food
  • Potato masher
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make a nest out of tissue and paper towels in a cup shape. Place a heating pad on low under the makeshift nest to keep the bird warm. Make sure it is warm to the touch at all times because otherwise it cannot digest its food properly.

    • 2

      For the first two days, soak small dog kibble in hot water and add sugar to it. Once the food is very mushy and saturated, gently tap the baby bird's beak with the tweezers to announce the feeding. Gently place a tiny bit of the mush in the bird's mouth. Repeat until the bird no longer opens its mouth to be fed.

    • 3

      After two or three days of the dog kibble mush, the Scholastic website suggests this recipe: mix 1/4 cup of lean ground beef, 1 tsp. of cottage cheese, 1 tsp. of sand, 1/4 hard-boiled egg yolk, 1/4 cup of canned wet dog food, and 1 tsp. of dried turtle food into a bowl. Add a little water as needed to help stir the mix together (a very minimal amount). Use the potato masher and mash all of the ingredients in the bowl.

    • 4

      Take a small portion of the mix and feed the bird with the tweezers. After the bird stops eating, the unused portion can be frozen for later use.

    • 5

      Take out a portion of the frozen mix and defrost it in the microwave before the next feeding. It should be room temperature upon feeding.