Is it possible to feed sparrow chicks? Stopping feeding and transferring the chick to self-feeding

Important!!! Never pick up sparrow fledglings, never feed them. Because each such feathered lump, seemingly lonely, unhappy and abandoned, is strictly controlled by its parents [online] and feeds them strictly by the hour. Except in very rare cases.

Important!!! If you nevertheless picked up a chick and artificially fed it, then you can no longer release it into the wild. Such a sparrow, fed by a person, will not be adapted for a free life even if a flock of sparrows accepts it. Practice shows that a sparrow released into the wild dies within 3-5 days.

So, if you already have a sparrow, get ready to get up with the first rays of the sun for several weeks, take it with you to work, and go to bed late in the evening. All in order to feed the bird every hour. Birds in general, and chicks in particular, must eat frequently. Remember, you need to feed the chick strictly every hour, preferably every half hour, until satiated. If the feeding process is interrupted for more than two hours, the chick is likely to die. This is due to the specific digestive system and is very quick exchange substances. You can sleep peacefully at night, because at night the metabolism of birds naturally and slows down significantly.

For the right choice feeding regime, you need to try to determine the approximate age of the chick.

1. the chick in the photo is approximately 2-3 days old;
2. the chick in the photo is about 7 days old;
3. about 12 days;
4. about 15-20 days (already trying to fly).

Since the sparrow is a grain- and insectivorous bird, consider it an omnivore, it is easy to feed it. Typically, sparrows and similar birds are fed a mash composed of the following components in the indicated proportions:

One boiled chicken egg (or three quail);
Boiled millet 2 teaspoons;
Finely grated carrots 1 teaspoon (squeeze out the juice);
Chopped lettuce leaves or chickweed herbs (stellaria media) 1/2 teaspoon;
Dry daphnia 1 teaspoon (sold in pet stores) or 1 teaspoon finely chopped boiled beef;
One pharmaceutical calcium tablet.

The components are thoroughly mixed, preferably in a blender, until the consistency of medium-thick sour cream. The mixture is stored in the freezer, naturally frozen. Before feeding, I break off part of the mixture, thaw it and put it into a syringe. It is convenient to take an insulin syringe, which has a gently pressing piston.

We take the sparrow in our fist, but do not squeeze it too hard, so as not to damage it, but also so that it does not break out. Next, tap the nose of the syringe on the beak. The chick must open its beak itself. If the chick is not yet fledged and naked, then it itself will, in any case, open its mouth when the syringe approaches. If the chick is already a fledgling, then it will not open its beak on its own. In this case, you will have to unclench the beak with your nails.

Give the mixture little by little. You should try not to put the mash in the beak, but push it a little further so that the food gets into the crop and not into the beak. After each serving, give the chick a drop of water. Feed one at a time until satiated, until the beak stops opening. A remarkable feature: when the sparrow has had enough, it begins to weakly vibrate its entire body in the palm of its hand. I don’t know what this is connected with, maybe with a feeling of pleasure, but the sensations are unforgettable.

If the chick does not open its mouth fundamentally, then it will have to be force-fed. After some time, the chick gets used to the syringe and begins to open its mouth, however, not always.

When feeding a sparrow, it is very important to monitor the bird's droppings. The droppings should not be completely covered with white film. The presence of film indicates an incorrect feeding regime.

Starting from the third week, the sparrow should already try to peck the seeds (not sunflowers). But since his beak is still soft, it is difficult for him to crack the seeds. Therefore, along with the seeds, you need to give the sparrow rice porridge or boiled millet, millet, which the sparrow, by the way, happily eats from its finger.

As soon as the sparrow began to eat the porridge itself, you no longer need to give the mash from the syringe. When the sparrow begins to eat the seeds on its own, you can also give up the porridge. Of the available bird foods, a grain mixture for finches or canaries is excellent. You can also try giving grain mixture to parrots, but it contains a lot of oats, and sparrows do not eat it very well.

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Published September 13, 2014 12:56
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Sparrow chicks are often selected due to ignorance of the behavior of fledglings, due to the desire that arises in most people to help this “poor child”. The behavior of fledglings is characterized by following their parents and begging for food in a position characteristic of a fledgling - crouching on its paws, rapidly flapping its wings and screaming loudly. Although such fledglings fly very well, they may not be afraid of people, which misleads people. If you see such a yellowthroat, don’t worry and don’t pay attention to it; as a rule, the chick’s parents are nearby and it doesn’t need help, it didn’t fall out of the nest, but flew out of it safely.

When to save a sparrow fledgling or chick?

If you have taken a chick from a cat or dog, then such a chick must be treated. After a cat bite, even if the bird flies, the birds develop very serious problems, because cats and dogs normally have bacteria (pasteurella) living on their teeth, which are pathogenic for birds, causing a particularly dangerous infectious disease pasteurellosis in birds.
If you find sparrow chicks of any age covered with mites, then such a chick will not survive in the wild. Therefore, you will most likely be able to help him if you contact a bird doctor and take responsibility and care for the chick.
If the nest was destroyed during the construction or repair of a building, then most likely you will be able to save its life by taking it into your care, creating all the conditions that this bird needs.

Photo: Look, this is not a fully feathered sparrow chick; such a chick is outside the nest. If you find such a sparrow, it means: either the chick was thrown out of the nest, or fell out, or he himself had to leave the nest (this happens when all the older brothers have already fully fledged and left the nest, after which the parent birds cease to participate in life " younger" chick). Author of the photo:

If you find a chick lying on asphalt or concrete, and this chick cannot stand up on its own, then such a chick may have broken legs and/or internal bleeding. Such chicks should be immediately taken to a veterinarian, or at least call the avian doctor, in order to receive the first instructions on what to do with the chick.

How to help chicks if the nest is destroyed?

Unfeathered (“naked”) and blind sparrow chicks are often thrown out of the nest by other birds, and therefore it is useless to return chicks thrown out by other birds to the nest. This event is usually accompanied by fights between birds at the nest; sparrow nests may be occupied by swifts or starlings.

If the chick accidentally falls out (this happens when older chicks actively beg for food from their parents), and you see a nest (sparrows fly there and you can hear the chicks squeaking) - try to return the chick inside the nest. This often saves the birds' lives.

If you witnessed how a hurricane or thunderstorm overturned a birdhouse or titmouse in which sparrows or other birds were nesting, and the chicks fell out of such a nest, then you can really save the chicks, even if the disaster happened at night, and you only found the chicks in the grass in the morning. Return the birdhouse to its original position. If the nest inside the birdhouse is completely destroyed, then simply pour sawdust on the bottom of the birdhouse, or put dry moss (there is no need to put wet moss) and return the fallen chicks, having first given them water to drink.

Sparrows, starlings, flycatchers, tits - they don’t smell and because you picked up the chicks - they won’t abandon their brood.

After this, observe how the parent birds behave:

- If adult sparrows are not interested in the nest box and do not even fly up to it, wait three hours and take the chicks for additional feeding.
- If sparrows fly up to the nest, respond to the chicks' call, but do not fly inside, you are most likely scaring the birds. In this case, leave them alone, do not appear in sight for several hours, and they will most likely return to feeding the chicks.

Is it possible to feed very small chicks?

If you find a tiny, unfeathered chick, and you don’t see the nest from which it fell, then such a chick has only one option to survive - if it receives competent and timely help. It is not difficult to feed a sparrow chick; this can be done even by feeding it only a boiled egg and minced meat. However, such a chick will not be healthy; it will grow up sick and rickety.

If you live in a village and have the time and opportunity to catch insects, everything is much better. The best option is to feed the sparrow with insects: grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, butterflies, caterpillars (caterpillars should be naked; do not give “hairy” caterpillars to sparrow chicks). The main thing is not to forget to give the chick water every time after feeding and immediately remove the droppings from the nest (it’s easy to make a nest in a box lined with clean napkins).

If you are a city dweller or you do not have the opportunity to spend time in the field catching grasshoppers and butterflies, then this article on feeding chicks of field sparrows and house sparrows will be useful for you as a guide.

If you are the owner of a rehabilitation center, or a volunteer at a wild bird rescue center, or you simply enthusiastically collect dozens of sparrow chicks at home, then the feeding method described in this article will not suit you, since large number breeding chicks requires a completely different professional approach to both the preparation of chicks’ diets and the feeding process.

What should you do immediately after picking up a chick?

The first step, having picked up a sparrow chick of any age, is to give it something to drink. If the chick does not open its beak and shows practically no signs of life, moisten a brush, a cotton swab or your finger with water, and place the drop hanging from your finger/cotton swab in the corner of the closed beak - the drop will be absorbed by itself and the chick will make a swallowing movement in a few seconds, give about 10 drops of water and call your bird doctor.

What to feed the chick in the first hours at home?

If the chick actively asks for food: opens its beak when a person approaches and squeaks loudly or not loudly, and you do not have food insects at home, then the most universal option What you can feed almost any chick without harm is non-fat raw, fresh meat. Can be used minced meat, or scrape the meat scraps from a frozen piece of meat with a knife, put it in a shallow saucer and add warm water so that the mass melts quickly. You can use frozen fish or minced fish in the same way. You can't use lard, and don't use dumpling filling ( real case from practice).

The second universal food that you can feed your chick in the first hours after you bring it home is a boiled chicken egg. Boil an egg hard, finely chop the yolk and white, add a little water, mash, roll into a ball the size of 2/3 of the chick's head and place it in its beak. On such an “emergency” diet, the chick can live for a day without harm to itself, but if you continue to feed it only eggs or only meat, the chick will get sick very quickly.

And now in detail about what you need to purchase to fully feed a sparrow chick:

Special lighting for chicks

The list of necessary things for feeding chicks includes a bird lamp. The lamp is necessary because at home the chicks are deprived of sunlight, and without ultraviolet radiation the normal development of the chick is impossible, since vitamin D is produced in the skin of birds only in the presence of ultraviolet radiation, in addition. IMPORTANT! DO NOT USE MEDICAL HARD UV LAMPS. Partially replace sunlight A special lamp for birds will help. Now the best option is the Arcadia birds lamp. Place it in the room where the chick is kept, at a distance of up to 1 meter from the chick. The lamp must be turned on during daylight hours. Duration daylight hours should be at least 10 hours (preferably 12-14). Before turning off the light, the chick must be fed.

Where to keep the chick? Cage, box, nest, basket?

The best option for keeping chicks is a brooder with temperature and humidity control. Sparrow chicks in a brooder should be kept in a homemade nest. If there is no brooder, then a “nest is made” and the temperature is controlled either with lamps (the incandescent lamp should not shine directly on the chick) or with water heaters. A comfortable bowl lined with paper napkins, or a rope nest for canaries (can be purchased at pet stores). It is better to cover small chicks with another napkin after feeding. In this way, heat is retained, the chick develops a feeding reflex, and psychological comfort is created for the bird, because sparrows nest in enclosed spaces.

Do not use hay, straw, compressed sawdust or cat litter as bedding. . Chicks can swallow pellets and this can lead to trouble.

Containers without lining cannot be used as a nest (even if it is cardboard or wood) - for the reason that without lining, the chick’s paws will slide, and moving the paws apart will lead to injury to the joints.

The temperature must be maintained within 32-35 C, humidity 40-45%.

Carefully remove droppings from the nest as soon as they appear! The parent must have a pedantic skill - cleanliness in the nest, best prevention diseases of chicks.

When the chick becomes a fledgling, it leaves the nest. Such a fledgling can be kept either in a large cage, or in an aviary, or simply in large basket, covered with a panel with a mosquito net on top. Fledglings should not be kept in a closed basket or box (light is very important for normal development and molting).

Sparrow chicks grow in closed nests, but they do not grow in the dark. In natural closed nests, chicks receive a lot of scattered ultraviolet radiation, which they are deprived of at home. Photo .

If you keep the chick in a basket, then you need to install perches made of branches with bark in it. The perches are placed close to the floor. The food is placed at the bottom of the cage. Also, a broom made of thin branches with foliage is installed in the basket or enclosure. Hiding in the branches of bushes and trees is the normal behavior of a sparrow fledgling, so the chicks will hide behind a branch broom.

Hygiene in keeping chicks

When feeding chicks, it is important to keep the nest (box) clean and immediately remove the chick's droppings. Normally, the chick defecates immediately after feeding.

When feeding liquid, smearable food, you must try to prevent the food from getting on the feathers and in the eyes of the chick. Feather contamination from food leads to disruption of feather development (the feather does not open normally or the feather follicle may be damaged). In addition, contamination of the feather with food creates favorable conditions for the development of secondary bacterial and fungal infections, so food that gets on the feather should be immediately removed with a damp cotton swab or wet wipe. If the feed mixture gets into the eyes, it is necessary to rinse the chick's eyes with a sterile saline solution.

Calcium for sparrow chicks

Sparrows can get calcium from insects, plant foods, kitten food, egg shells and mineral supplements.

In order to prevent the development of rickets in chicks, you need to feed a diet containing calcium and phosphorus in a ratio of 2:1, so you should not feed sparrows for a long time only raw meat or just a boiled egg.

The most accessible source of calcium is chalk (calcium carbonate), edible clay, and the shells of boiled eggs (the eggs must be well boiled so as not to infect the chick with pathogens of infectious diseases of chickens). Chalk, clay or shells are ground into dust in a coffee grinder, and this powder is used to add to the liquid mixture and to coat insects when feeding grown fledglings. I will call this powder conditionally “calcium”.

How to calculate a chick's need for calcium?

The literature provides data that pure calcium should make up 2% of the daily diet. But for single-fed chicks, it is possible to adhere to the rule “it is impossible to overdose on calcium carbonate,” because its excess is excreted from the intestines. Therefore, if you take the dosage of calcium powder at half a teaspoon per day as a guideline, then you will definitely not go wrong.

Can parrot formula be used for sparrow chicks?

Some bird owners for feeding chicks passerine birds mixtures are used to feed parrot chicks. This is a wrong method because nutritional needs and the development of parrot chicks are very different from the rate of development of passerine chicks, and their basic nutritional needs are very different. Passerine chicks raised on parrot food muscle mass gain is normal, but feathers and bone tissue develop abnormally. The literature mentions that only Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding Formula is suitable for feeding small sparrow chicks. I have not used this mixture, although it is available on the CIS market, but unsuccessfully fed sparrows and other passerine birds with mixtures for parrots different manufacturers— I see it very often in my practice.

Feeding unfeathered chicks from day one

A liquid feed mixture is used to feed unfeathered blind sparrow chicks from the first day.

Composition of the feed mixture for feeding: food insects, cottage cheese, pieces of fruit, available berries, dry hamarus or daphnia, children's Linex (1 bag), soaked kitten food, natural yogurt, calcium. Place everything together in a blender and grind until liquid. The mixture is given from a syringe in small portions. Never fill the crop more than 2/3 full to prevent the crop from overstretching. To very small chicks, the mixture can be given either with a brush or a pipette - it is important to prevent the food from contaminating the skin and feathers of the chick.

This mixture does not store well. It spoils quickly because it contains many nutritional components and bacterial cultures (yogurt and linex). Therefore, it is important not to make a large volume of the mixture for storage; use the finished food within 2 hours.

The process of feeding the chick

What to feed the chick: syringe, brushes?

When the chick is very small and blind, it is best to use an insulin syringe with a removable needle for feeding. For convenience, you can put on a trimmed intravenous catheter, but the older the chick gets, the stronger it grabs the tip of the syringe and can swallow the catheter. Be careful not to use a catheter on mature chicks and fledglings. Before feeding the chick, remove all drops of the feed mixture from the tip of the syringe so as not to accidentally stain the plumage.

Some find it more convenient to use brushes to feed very small chicks; if you have the skill and you do not stain the bird’s feather, then you can use this method.

If there are a lot of chicks, then feed them all in a circle. There is no need to “feed” the chick immediately and completely: give a portion of food and move on to the next chick. Don’t forget to check if the youngest chicks are full, as the older ones can “trample” the babies in the nest.

How often should chicks be fed?

Feeding is carried out every 20-30 minutes for 14 hours a day. Make sure the crop is empty before feeding again. If the goiter slowly empties or swells -. It is important not to overfeed the chicks, since the sparrow continues to ask for food even when the crop is already full; do not feed the mixture more than 2/3 of the head volume; it is better to feed in small portions, but more often.

How to hold a chick while feeding?

When feeding, the chicks shake their heads and sway in different sides— for your convenience, you can gently hold the chick’s head with the fingers of your free hand. Immediately remove any remaining food from the chick's head or body. If the chick does not poop immediately after feeding, feel the belly; it should not be swollen or hard. Lack of droppings may be due to the feed mixture being too dry. Dilute the mixture and/or give the chick additional water. If the chick still does not poop, feed it water until the litter appears, without giving a new portion of food.

Feeding feathered chicks and fledglings

As soon as the chick's first feather stumps appear, gradually begin to introduce food insects. Insects must be introduced by replacing individual feedings of the chick mixture with insects, removing solid parts from mealworms, crickets, and locusts. Alternate between feeding liquid formula, insects, berries and small pieces of fruit.

Fledglings need to be fed every 45 minutes - 12-14 hours a day. The older the chick gets, the more insects you give. When the chick can stand on its own legs on its own, there is no longer any need for a liquid mixture, provided that you have plenty of food insects, berries and fruits. Calcium is sprinkled on fruits and insects fall in it. Necessarily! After each feeding, you need to give the bird water: give 2-3 drops into the beak, or more if the chick asks for more.

Properly fed house sparrow chicks are fully feathered by the time they reach the normal weight of adult birds, without stubby tails, bald spots on the head and white spots on the primary flight feathers. The weight of an adult house sparrow is 28 grams.

Chick training: target and clicker

If you are not going to release the chick back into the wild, then it is important to use a clicker when feeding from the first days, developing a click reflex. This will help you in the future, when the chick begins to fly, to train the chick, increasing its physical endurance. This important stage in the life of a chick and it is important not to miss this time.

Accustoming the chick to feed independently

As soon as the sparrow begins to leave its box on its own: firstly, it is time to start accustoming it to feeding on its own; secondly, you need to eliminate all the cracks under the furniture, between the furniture and the walls (sparrows love to hide in such cracks and may not make a sound at all; it is extremely difficult to find a hidden chick).

Accustoming a chick to “adult” food begins with introducing the chick to food. To do this, a grain mixture for canaries, or a mixture of meadow and forest grass seeds, is poured onto the bottom of the cage or enclosure. Pieces of vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs are also placed here, food insects, chopped boiled chicken eggs, crumbs from dry food for kittens are thrown in. No “forbidden” vegetables or fruits that are dangerous for sparrows grow in Eurasia. Since there will still be questions, I’ll clarify: the sparrow chick can be given: dill, parsley, cilantro, coriander, cabbage, apples, cherries, sweet cherries, pears, bananas, potatoes, grapes and other vegetables and fruits, bunches of wild herbs and weeds. At first, the chick will playfully taste everything; over time, it will learn to chew the seeds on its own. There is no need and should not be done to teach him to eat on his own.

To make it more convenient for you to clean the cage and replace food, it is best to use shallow trays. It is also most convenient to give water in shallow, wide containers. The older the sparrow becomes, the more forages, scythes and other methods of enriching the diet and habitat must be used.

Stopping feeding and transferring the chick to self-feeding

It is very important not to transfer the chick to self-feeding ahead of time. The fact that the chick has begun to shell grain on its own and is interested in other foods is not a reason to reduce the frequency of feeding; in nature, parents continue to feed fledglings for a long time after the chicks have already begun to eat themselves. Surely you have seen a string of loudly screaming sparrows flying after their parents and begging for food. This is a very important period in the life of a fledgling. At this time, the parent birds teach the chicks: what to eat, how to eat, how to avoid dangers, and, importantly, this following of the parents allows the chicks to gain the necessary physical endurance. Therefore, you now need to not just put food in the chick’s beak, but make it fly after you around the apartment. This is where the training skills you previously learned come into play. Now you need to secure them - this will help you solve many problems with the bird’s behavior in the future. Too early transfer to independent feeding is fraught with malnutrition and the development of diseases in the chick.

Photo: Chicks in the nest. These are fledglings ready to fly out of the nest, but for a few more weeks they will pester their parents, demanding additional feeding. Photo .

House sparrow chicks are ready to switch to independent feeding when they reach a weight of 20-27 grams, are fully feathered, the tail is 2-3 cm long, the beak becomes gray-beige and hard, bites become painful, the yellow border at the corners of the beak turns pale and becomes small noticeable. Now your chick is not a yellowthroat.

Start reducing the frequency of feedings. Some chicks can switch to independent feeding very quickly, literally within a day after reducing the frequency of feeding. Other chicks at this age refuse to eat (do not want to eat) and such fledglings do not need to be force-fed. Monitor the sparrow's body weight: if the bird does not lose weight below 21 grams and is active, then everything is in order. If you plan to release the bird in the future, then you can already take it out into the outdoor aviary.

Photo: This is what a healthy sparrow fledgling looks like, one that can feed on its own. Pay attention to the condition of the plumage and the corners of the beak. Photo: .

What should you not give to chicks?

Under no circumstances should chicks be given poisoned flies, cockroaches, or crickets. If you find a lethargic or dead fly or cockroach, you cannot feed the chicks with them, as the chick will also be poisoned and die.

Do not feed insects caught in the sticky trap tape.

You cannot give minced dumplings, belyashi, chebureks, pies, sausages, frankfurters, cutlets, etc.

Do not give milk, bread soaked in milk, cheese from pizza, powdered milk and children's milk porridges.

Do not give soured, sour, rotten formula for feeding.

Earthworms should not be offered to the chick. Earthworms are intermediate hosts for worms, in particular for syngamuses, which lead to syngamosis.

Should I give my chick vitamins?

All vitamins are given only as prescribed by the veterinarian supervising the development of the chick. Remember, vitamins are not just cool balls or syrup, they are chemical compounds, which have their own indications and contraindications for use. It is especially important to know this if you decide to give your chick fat-soluble vitamins ADE yourself - an overdose of these drugs is deadly for any bird!

Signs of disease in chicks

A slowdown in the rate of chick development and weight gain are important signs of disease. It is also important to pay attention to the condition of the litter. Normally, droppings should be well-formed, odorless, not liquid, and without bubbles. The goiter should empty very quickly; the goiter should not be allowed to swell or become overfilled.

If you get into the trachea while feeding and the chick coughs or starts sneezing, contact your bird doctor IMMEDIATELY!

The paws should not move apart. Fingers should be straight.

Photo: This unfeathered sparrow chick has a so-called “split” - the legs move apart due to damaged tendons. If treatment of the chick is not started in time, it will either die in a very early age, or become disabled for life. If you see that the chick's legs are moving apart, then immediately contact a veterinarian who specializes in treating birds. Photo:

Photo: This house sparrow chick fell into human hands at a very early age, with its legs already moving apart. Pay attention to the position of the paws: the paws are “spread” to the sides.These are signs of rickets; treatment of chicks with such paws should begin as early as possible, after you notice the first signs of the disease. Despite the fact that dA proper “nest” was made for this chick, in which the paws did not move further apart, the bird remained disabled.

Photo: The same chick as in the photo above, but already grown up. The paws are turned to the sides. Feathers do not open normally. Look at the feathers of the wings and tail: such “needles” should not exist.

Photo: There should be no bald patches on the chick's head and neck. Poor plumage condition, multiple stress lines on the feathers, unevenly unfolding feathers on the tail, delayed development of feathers on the head, a paw turned to the side - all these are signs of illness in a sparrow chick. The photo shows the same chick as above.

Photo: The feather should not have stress lines (transverse grooves), areas with no secondary grooves (not a full feather). The color of the plumage should be light brown without white spots. The same chick, but already a fledgling.

The eyes should be clean and clear. The eyelids should not be red.

If you notice signs of illness in the chick, contact your veterinarian immediately. It’s better to ask the doctor again if everything is okay than to miss the critical time to start treating the bird.

Is it possible to release a human-raised chick into the wild?

A single-reared sparrow chick becomes very attached to the person who fed it; such a chick can be adapted for release if you take care of “wilding” in advance. To do this, you don’t have to babysit with the chick; you feed it and forget about it. During feeding, you need to wear bright clothes or clothes with color spots, so that the chick does not concentrate on the face of the feeder and his voice, but is distracted by bright clothes. When you reach the age of independent feeding, do not show unnecessary interest in the bird; such a fledgling will quickly begin to run wild and be afraid of humans. Of course, for release into the wild, it is better to raise at least two chicks at once, so that there are no problems with socialization in the future, but a single-fed sparrow can be successfully released - provided it special training. Without adaptation, socialization and training, it is not possible to release a fed chick into the wild.

Preparing for release into the wild

To prepare for release into the wild, you need an enclosure of at least 1.2 x 2.4 x 2.4, but the larger the better. The walls of the aviary are made of soldered wire mesh with a mesh of 1 x 1 or 1 x 1.5 cm. It is best to attach the aviary with one or two walls to existing buildings, so that the birds have a corner protected from the wind on both sides.

In the aviary it is necessary to create a central zone, free from perches and shelters, where the birds can fly. Birds in such an aviary are fed with the maximum possible amount of wild herbs and plants growing in your area. A flock of sparrows is kept in such an enclosure for 1-2 weeks. All birds must be in good health before release. physical fitness, fully feathered, the feather should be waterproof, like that of wild sparrows.

Release into the wild

Prepared birds must be released in the morning, at good weather. It is advisable that the weather forecast for the next few days after release is also good. It is best to release where flocks of young sparrows already live.

Please note that release into the wild must be supervised by specialists and it is necessary to prepare for it in advance, since there are a large number of important details that are beyond the scope of this article.

Useful video about feeding sparrow chicks on the Pernatik’s life channel:

Kozlitin V.E.

Used literature:
1. Hand-rearing birds / Laurie J. Gage, Rebecca Duerr. ©2007 Blackwell Publishing
2. Avian medicine: principles and applications. Ritchie, Harrison and Harrison. © 1994. Wingers Publishing, Inc., Lake Worth, Florida

The title photo shows a healthy, unfeathered house sparrow chick.

If you find a house sparrow chick, you should learn how to care for it, but make sure it is an orphan before you adopt it. Mortality rates among captive-bred birds are high, so it is best to return the chick to its parents if possible.

Steps

How to avoid common mistakes

Make sure that the chick is truly left without parents. If it has feathers, it is a fledgling that is learning to fly, so it should be left on the ground. Only take the chick if it is threatened by a predator or if the parents do not return within an hour. If the chick has no feathers, it should be in a nest, so look for a nest somewhere nearby. Carefully lift the bird and return it to the nest.

Take care of your health. Pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are not advised to handle wild chicks. They can be carriers of infections (for example, salmonella), which are transmitted to people.

Always practice good hygiene when handling birds. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling the bird. Place trash in a disposable bag.

Try to avoid influencing the bird too much. If a bird interacts too much with a person, it will decide that he is its parent, which is why it will no longer be afraid of people. This will make it more difficult for you to release her into the wild. If you just want to keep the bird with you until it gets stronger, do not handle it, especially while feeding. You should preserve the bird's innate fear of humans.

Don't give your bird water. The chicks receive food in the form of insects from their parents, and they do not drink water. If you try to give water from a pipette, the chick may inhale the liquid and suffocate.

Watch the chick grow. You can weigh it regularly. Place your bird on the scale before feeding each day. A healthy chick should gain weight daily.
- If you are going to release a bird into the wild, do not weigh it, because the more you touch it, the greater your influence on it. Weigh the chick only if you want to keep it.

Feeding the chick

Start giving your baby puppy food or cat food soaked in water. Add some chick food to the water. Wet food for cats and puppies has a higher protein content and is more similar to what baby birds would eat in the wild. Mash the food until pureed in a shallow bowl.
- If the chick is not yet able to eat on its own, divide the food into small pieces and feed them to the bird with tweezers.
Add as many insects to your food as possible. Sparrows eat dry food (insects and seeds) and also collect live spiders, snails, aphids, caterpillars and other small invertebrates. Chicks prefer live food.

Add vitamins and minerals to live food. You can use special additives in powder, which are sold in pet stores. This will make the diet complete, since living food lacks nutrients.

Feed your bird often. If the chick is small, you should put food with tweezers into the open beak, and if the bird can already eat itself, leave the food in a shallow dish. Remember that it usually takes about two weeks for a bird to learn to eat on its own.
- If the chick is very small and without feathers, it should be fed every half hour. Grown chicks can be fed once every 1-2 hours. When the chick gets hungry, it will begin to squeak and open its beak. When he is full, he will stop doing this.
Give water only from the drinking bowl. Small chicks do not know how to drink from a bowl - this can lead to drowning.

In the spring, when all the birds begin to have offspring, you can sometimes see chicks falling out of their nests. small ones, not fully fledged, yellow-throated babies look so defenseless and abandoned that it is simply impossible to pass by. Therefore, many people rush to take them with them in order to save the poor birds, warm them and feed them. What to feed a sparrow.

If you find a sparrow chick and bring it home to go out, first you need to find a place for it to stay. For this, a small box may be suitable, at the bottom of which you need to lay a cloth made of soft material. Place the foundling there and make sure it can't jump out. Very young chicks may need additional heating. To do this, it is recommended to use a heating pad or a bottle filled with warm water.

So, you picked up a sparrow chick, brought it to your house, equipped it temporary shelter and are going to feed the bird. The main thing to remember is that chicks insectivorous birds per day they eat food that is 3/4 of their weight. What do sparrows eat? The basis of their diet in nature consists of small flies, worms, caterpillars, beetles and various larvae. Of course, it is advisable to feed the baby these insects, but, unfortunately, it will be quite difficult to get them.

You need to know exactly what you can feed a sparrow. For example, under no circumstances should you feed your bird bread. You can give it very little, after soaking it in milk, no more than once every 2-3 days. You can offer the chick some boiled meat, which should be finely chopped and add oatmeal or grains of some cereal.

The sparrow chick will also eat vegetables- cucumbers, carrots, beets. Before feeding, they must be finely ground and the excess juice squeezed out. You can also feed your baby boiled egg and cottage cheese. It is very important to take into account that food for him should be unsalted, since salt should not be given to birds under any circumstances. You can supplement the diet by adding crushed chalk or coal; the chick will eat this supplement with pleasure.

When you try to feed the bird, you need to try to do it in such a way that the baby eats on his own. But if this is not possible, he should be given food after opening his beak with tweezers. This must be done very carefully so as not to harm the chick. If you are not sure that you can handle this task, it is better to ask someone else.

You need to feed your baby very often, once every 2 hours. Of course, this is very difficult and complicated, but if you want, you can cope, because you won’t allow the newly-made pet you have chosen to die of hunger? And also do not forget that, in addition to food, there should always be fresh water near the bird.

Is it worth picking up a sparrow chick?

Lifestyle of sparrows

Sparrows- small and agile birds, their cheerful chirping can always be heard on the street. Unlike their feathered counterparts, they wake up not at dawn, but rather late in the morning. Birds love to gather in noisy groups. When spring comes and it’s time to reproduce, the males fight for a long time for best places for nests. When the house for future babies is ready, the female lays 4 to 6 eggs. When the chicks are born, parents begin to worry about their food.

The sparrow chick is considered strong if he opens his beak wide when feeding. It is very rare, but there are cases where parents consider cubs that do not eat well to be weak and throw them out of their house. But such an action on the part of these birds - big exception.

In most cases, chicks fall out of the nests and begin to learn to fly. The first attempts may be unsuccessful, but later the kids gain strength and everything works out for them.

If you find a chick

Before you take home a little sparrow chick, you should seriously think about whether it might still be worth leaving it where it was? Most likely, a “fledgling” fell out of the nest - a baby who has begun to learn to fly and is making his first attempts at this. And the bird’s parents are nearby at this moment, they control it and will always be able to bring food to their child while he is on the ground and gets stronger.

Caring for such a baby at home is quite problematic, and many chicks may simply die if not properly cared for or fed. If there are no dogs or cats nearby, it is better to bring and place a feeder with food where the fallen cub is located. And also do not forget that birds that grew up in captivity can quickly die after they are released to live outside.

If you find a nest, full of small and yellow-faced babies, and you are absolutely sure that their parents will not come again, and you really want to help the poor orphans, you can try to feed these chicks. If you wish, feeding such birds is a completely solvable task; you just need to first learn more about such babies so as not to inadvertently harm them.

Feeding instructions

First of all, you will definitely need:

pipette;
tweezers;
disposable syringes;
birdseed.

Now you can start feeding. To do this you need to do:

You already know that if you accidentally see chicks in the spring, it is better not to pick them up. But it may happen that you accidentally discover, say, a very small sparrow whose leg is broken, or has some other damage, and he is completely helpless, then, of course, he will definitely need help and care.

If the chick has not yet fully fledged, it needs to be heated. You need to place the baby in a warm and small bag. To do this, use an old mitten or wool sock. Make sure he is always warm. After this, you can try to feed the foundling.

Sequence of feeding a sparrow chick

You will need:

insects (flies, beetles);
tweezers.

The following steps will go like this:

Such a baby needs to be fed every hour using tweezers with a variety of insects; flies, spiders, worms, and small beetles are suitable. You can try to buy some at a pet store, for example, mealworm larvae. You will need quite a lot of food, so try giving it as well boiled egg, minced meat;
when the sparrow opens its beak wide, use tweezers to place an insect into the bird's mouth, which it will subsequently swallow;
If the baby is not yet eating on his own, he does not need to be given water, as this is dangerous and he may choke. Feed him mushy food using a dropper. When he gets a little stronger and begins to eat on his own, place water in a drinking bowl next to him so that the sparrow chick can drink at will;
There is no need to worry about overfeeding your small pet, since birds have a very fast metabolism and require a lot of food. It is recommended to feed the babies little by little and often, and if the chick eats a large number food, but rarely, this will have a very negative impact on his health.

If you are caring for a tit chick, you must know what kind of life this bird leads in conditions wildlife. The titmouse is a very active, friendly and sociable creature. If we're talking about about her baby, take into account the fact that even a chick without injuries or physical injuries requires increased care, attention, as well as certain nursing skills. They will help you grow healthy bird which will be yours true friend until the end of life.

Tits are birds that are found everywhere in the cities of our country. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of us periodically encounter baby tits that have fallen from the nest.

Outwardly, this bird is very similar to a sparrow, but it looks much brighter than its closest relative. It is characterized by bluish wings and a bright yellow belly.

Like sparrows, tits are sedentary city birds. They settle nearby with people who feed them chopped pieces of lard, seeds and bread crumbs. Without outside help birds have to make do with insects, grains, seeds, and human food waste.

Remember responsibility

If you get your hands on little chick tits and you decide to save him, count on strong affection on his part for the rest of your life. But remember, if you get tired of this mission and release the chick outside, it will almost certainly not survive. Therefore, approach this process with full responsibility.

The bird will not immediately get used to your hands, since it is wild by nature. But in matters of nutrition, the tit is absolutely unpretentious. Moreover, these birds perfectly imitate the singing of canaries, which is why they are valued among bird breeders.

Feeding Basics

It is worth noting that tit chicks are helpless and very voracious. In nature, a mother feeds her chicks for about 20 days.

A squeak is a clear signal that the chick is hungry. At first you need to feed him every two to three hours. In a week or a week and a half, the baby will no longer be so demanding - he will need feeding every four hours.

The diet of small birds consists of:

boiled minced meat: chicken, beef, veal;
chopped greens: parsley, lettuce;
boiled chicken egg, pureed into porridge;
crushed non-acidic cottage cheese;
live mealworms;
clean fresh water.

You can make liquid mash from greens, eggs and cottage cheese, with the addition of grated carrots. You can find worms at any pet store. Very little water is required - a third of a teaspoon from a pipette. In the first days of a baby’s life, food is pushed directly into the beak. Do this very carefully, using tweezers or a syringe without a needle, so that the chick does not choke.

Content nuances

Tit chicks up to three weeks old are recognized by characteristic features: gray plumage with white edges, yellow beak, presence of fluff and a small forelock on the head.

A small box is suitable for a tit fledgling as a temporary shelter. Cover it with soft material, under which your “child” will hide entirely.

When he gets stronger, give the bird a separate home. Inside the cage, place a feeder, a drinker and 2-3 perches.

The tit will gradually get used to you if you feed it from your palm. It is important for chicks to feel safe. Therefore, avoid sudden movements and loud exclamations when interacting with your pet.

Principles of nursing

The nature of birds is not simple in relation to other birds. Therefore, do not put the titmouse in the same cage with other birds if they already live in your house.

In order for the bird to quickly adapt to new unfamiliar conditions, for the first couple of weeks, cover the cage with the pet with a natural white cloth and take it to a quiet, calm place without a draft.

The tit chick is ready to master flight within three weeks after birth. Give the bird “walks” around the room. Let her fly for about 2-3 hours every day. This will help her keep her growing muscles toned.

Before you let a tit fly around your apartment, make sure to close all the windows. Otherwise, the bird’s centuries-old instinct will kick in and it will instantly fly away.

Dangers and illnesses

An unhealthy state is expressed by the following symptoms: feather loss, lethargy, digestive disorders - diarrhea, refusal to fly and eat.

In order not to waste time, show the bird to a veterinarian. The specialist will examine the feathered patient and familiarize him with further treatment pet. When this is not possible, completely exclude his communication with other birds, if any. Feed the tit and clean its cage only with rubber gloves. See your doctor as soon as possible.

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