First Aid

If we find a chick

Warning: these instructions are only useful until you speak to a Care Centre representative.

Predator chicks

If the chicks are nocturnal (owls, etc.), the possibility of finding their parents should be exhausted. This should be done because, usually, they are not abandoned babies but simply ‘naughty’ ones who are removed prematurely from the nest. Most of the time the parents are somewhere around.

If we have found such a baby we choose a high enough spot on a building or tree, and place it in a natural or artificial nest (a hole in the tree or wall or a box with a hole or basket). Then we watch at dusk to see if the baby is visited by its parents. Most of the time this method works. Of course it assumes we want to be involved.

In general, all predator chicks should be fed only raw chicken and not minced meat or other red meat. After a day or two they need mandatory supplements (calcium etc.) otherwise their skeleton collapses, which is why we refer them to a Care Centre. It is also the only way to give the bird a chance of reintegration.

Swallows – Cinderellas

The right food is frozen insects or mealworms, sold by specialized pet shops and not always easy to find in country towns. However, mealworms alone are not sufficient.

These birds almost never eat alone. We have to put the food in their mouths.

A species-appropriate food, until the specific food is found or until the foal is sent to a Care Centre, is the dry chicken-based growing food for baby kittens, which needs to be boiled for a few hours to soften. Alternatively, we can sometimes feed them boiled egg white or pieces of raw chicken. Cinderellas are relatively easy to raise and a private person living far from the Care Centres can cope with the process with relative success and with constant contact with experts, provided of course that they want to, and obtain the right food. It is essential that their feathers are not spoiled or soiled, so they must be kept in a cardboard box with a constantly clean substrate (kitchen paper, towel, etc.). When the wings in a closed position are at least one centimetre longer than the tail, the bird can be released. For release, choose an open area without power lines and away from a highway and give a small push to get the bird to fly into the air. Caution: if during the rearing we notice that the bird stops eating with appetite and has some drool in its mouth, we must contact ANIMA urgently.

Swallows have trouble reintegrating because they are more dependent on their parents than crows. When they reach a satisfactory size and are found to be flying, an area with swallows of the same species should be found and the bird released at the stage when the nestlings have started their first flights and are being taught to hunt by the parents. This gives them some chance of imitating other individuals of their species. In any case we are making every effort to send them to a Care Centre.

Sparrows and other seed-eaters

For them too, in order to have a chance of reintegration, they must be sent to a Treatment Centre. Until we can send them, they have to be fed

In the market, in large pet shops, there are powdered preparations for feeding seed-eating birds, which become cream with water and can be fed to the bird using a syringe. An alternative food is the egg white of a hard-boiled egg. When their size and shape reaches to be similar to adults, release them in a place where many sparrows gather, preferably away from cats.

Blackheads

Until the blackbird is sent to the Care Centre, we can alternate feeding with insects, dry kitten food, egg, chicken pieces.

Doves – Doves

They grow up just fine on chick feeding cream mixed with rice flour without milk). They need to have their prolapses filled with cream 3-4 times a day.

Insectivores (parakeets, chapatis, etc.)

Generally all insectivorous babies are fed insects and alternatively dry food for baby kittens and boiled egg. It is advisable that these categories of kittens are sent to a Care Centre, as re-homing them is difficult.

Rabbit’s feet – Pigs – Ivy

Dry growing food and canned food for kittens-dogs, raw chicken, eggs etc.

Frequency of the tastemakers

• When the chicks have their eyes closed: every 20-30 minutes of the hour.
• When opening the eyes and resting on the bars: every 30-40 minutes.
• When standing up: every 40-60 minutes.
• When they start jumping around the “nest”: every 1.30-2 hours.

IMPORTANT: Temperature

It is very important to keep the temperature in the “nest” of the young ones stable. The ideal temperature is 25-30 degrees Celsius. We can achieve this with a doorstop and an outdoor thermometer to avoid overheating.

Nest

Avoid cages, because the feathers are easily damaged, prefer cardboard boxes and baskets with absorbent substrate. We can use cat litter, newspapers, kitchen paper and dry grass clippings (those sold for pet bunnies are convenient).