Spring days and warmer weather are often a delight to behold, especially after the harsh conditions of winter. While walking outside, enjoying the new growth and birth of the season, you may encounter a newborn bird on the ground that seems to have been abandoned. Choosing to walk past the fragile creature, in an attempt to let nature take its course, is often difficult. If you believe a helpless newborn bird is on its own, and you can't locate a nest in a nearby shrub or tree, you can attempt to care for it and possibly save its life.
Instructions
1. Carefully pick up the bird and take it inside.
Line an empty cardboard shoe box with paper towels or dried, brown grass to make a nest for the newborn bird.
Place the bird into the box, and place the box in a quiet area that is away from any type of draft.
2. Hang a 40-watt light bulb over the box and nest to warm the newborn, or place a heating pad, on a low setting, beneath the box.
You can also fill a rubber glove with warm water, or heat a towel in the microwave for approximately 25 seconds, and place either one in the box with the bird for warming purposes.
3. Make a high-protein feeding formula for the bird by combining 1/4 cup lean ground beef, 1 tsp. cottage cheese, 1/4 cup canned dog food, 1/4 hard-boiled egg yolk, 1 tsp. sand or fine dirt and 1 tsp. turtle food. Mix thoroughly and allow a couple of servings of the mixture to reach room temperature. Refrigerate the rest and remove it as needed.
4. Feed the newborn bird approximately every half hour from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cup one hand over the back of the bird's wings and head, and raise its head into an erect position. Gently tap on the base of the bird's beak with your finger to signal that it is time for feeding.
Using dull tweezers or forceps, drop a small bit of food into the bird's open mouth. Feed the bird three or four mouthfuls. Follow up the feedings with a drop or two of water delivered by a clean eye dropper. Drop the water on the edge of the newborn bird's beak and allow the water to trickle into its throat.
5. Change out the paper towels or dried grass when they become soiled.
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