How to Make Homemade Wild Baby Bird Food

Wildlife rehabilitators and animal care workers sometimes must hand-raise an orphaned baby passerine, or perching songbird. In the wild, the parent feeds the baby a diet of mostly insects, with some grains and fruits. Alter the texture of the food and some elements of the recipe to suit hatchlings (newly hatched birds with eyes closed), nestlings (fuzzy, eyes open), or fledglings (feathered babies that can hop). This diet is only appropriate for baby songbirds and is not in any way suitable for doves and pigeons, raptors, waterbirds or other birds.

Things You'll Need

  • Dry cat food
  • Egg
  • Insects such as crickets or mealworms
  • Fruit such as berries, apples or grapes
  • Grain-based baby bird formula or birdseed
  • Blender
  • Eyedropper or syringe
  • Tweezers
  • Vitamin for birds
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Instructions

    • 1

      Soak 1 cup of dry cat food in water overnight. This will make up 75 percent of your homemade songbird diet. Warm it to room temperature before serving.

    • 2

      Scramble one egg and allow it to cool. Do not use butter or oil in cooking. Add 1/3 of the egg to your soaked cat food.

    • 3

      Add a handful of insects such as crickets or mealworms, which are often available in pet stores, to the mixture. For hatchlings or nestlings, kill the insects first. Fledglings need to consume live insects.

    • 4

      Add a pinch of berry, grape and apple pieces cut small.

    • 5

      Add 1 tbsp. of a grain-based baby bird diet, such as those designed for hand-raising baby parrots. As the bird grows into a fledgling, replace with birdseed.

    • 6

      Add a vitamin for birds. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to determine the necessary amount.

    • 7

      Puree the mixture in a blender for hatchlings and small nestlings. Use a fork or spoon to mash and mix the chow for older nestlings and fledglings.

    • 8

      Feed every 15 to 30 minutes from morning to night. Use an eyedropper or syringe to feed hatchlings and small nestlings, and tweezers to feed older birds. Feed until the bird stops gaping, or opening its mouth for food.

    • 9

      Make a fresh batch of songbird chow every 24 hours. Discard any leftovers from the previous day.