Homemade Baby Bird Food

Baby birds are extremely delicate creatures, and should always be handled with care. Never remove a baby bird from its natural environment, however if you chance upon an injured or abandoned baby bird, taking it home and caring for it may be essential for its survival. Finding a suitable accommodation for the baby bird at your home should not be a problem, as a shoebox will work just fine. However, feeding is another issue. While there are specialized baby bird formulas available at pet stores, homemade baby bird food is a less expensive alternative.

  1. Use a Human Nutritional Supplement

    • One of the simplest options for homemade baby bird food is to use a liquid nutritional supplement or meal replacement shake designed for humans. According to en.allexperts.com, you can make a baby bird food by heating up a product such as Slim Fast or Ensure, and then feed it to the baby bird using an eyedropper, teaspoon, or a needle-less plastic syringe. The above source recommends heating the liquid until it reaches approximately 102 degrees Fahrenheit. You should use a thermometer to check the temperature, because if the liquid is too hot it could burn the baby bird.

    Use a Mixture of Dog Food, Baby Food, and Eggs

    • Make a homemade baby bird food using one can of dog food, two tablespoons of a high protein baby cereal, and one mashed up hard boiled egg. You will need to thoroughly mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, and then shape the resulting mixture into pellets. Make the pellets approximately raisin-sized, which you can then feed to your baby bird. Since this baby bird food is relatively solid and does not contain much moisture, you also need to feed the bird water using an eyedropper or syringe. You can store left over homemade baby bird food in the refrigerator.

    What to Avoid

    • When feeding your baby bird a liquid (be it water or a heated supplement formula), make sure to deliver only tiny amounts at a time. Squirting too much liquid into a baby bird's mouth can cause lung aspiration, which may result in pneumonia and potentially death. There are also several foods you should avoid when making a homemade baby bird food. According to ParentsConnect.com, avoid using salt, rhubarb leaves, avocado and caffeinated foods such as chocolate and coffee grounds when making baby bird food (and all bird food in general), as these ingredients could cause your baby bird to fall ill and potentially die.