My husband just brought home a baby kildeer that can't be more than a week or two old... His buddy, in his ultimate wisdom searched, but couldn't find a nest...

I have a call into the extension office and the wildlife rehabber, but don't expect answers till tomorrow, as one was closed, and the other at a complete loss... I know they are 'bug eaters', but his beak is tiny, so I will have to use a toothpick... How do I get him to drink?? Dunking his beak doesn't seem to be working.

HELP!!

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001

Answers

First of all, it is doubtful that a baby this age should be made to drink anything. They get the moisture from the food they are given by their parents, forcing it down their throats may very well drown the baby. Same goes for milk, which some people seem to think a bird should eat for some reason -- they don't metabolize it, and you can drown them with it. Bread in milk is also right out.

If you know your bird eats insects, you can give it tiny bits of lean ground beef (raw chuck or round) when it is well feathered. If the bird is younger an emergency ration can be made up of 1/4 cup Gaines Meal dry dog food (or another good quality brand,), 2 drops Zymadrops vitamin supplement, and 1 25-mg. B1 tablet, crushed.. Soak the Gaines Meal in lukewarm water about ten minutes, until it expands. Drain off the excess liquid, mix in Zymadrops and B1. Mix it up to make a sticky paste you can pick up on the end of a swab stick (without the cotton swab on it). You may have to adjust it a bit if it is too dry (more water) or too soupy (more dry). Put the food stick well back in the baby's throat to trigger the swallowing reflex, just as the mother bird does with her bill. If the bird is very small (and probably your killdeer is), a No. 4 sable watercolour brush works well with the food on the bristle tip.

Alternately, you can also use 1/2 cup medicated turkey starter, 1 drop Zymadrops, and 1 25-mg B1 tablet crushed. The B1 is important to keep them from having rickets later on and they will die without it, however, if you plan to give the bird to the rehabilitator, I'm sure that one night of just plain soaked turkey starter or dog food will be a fine substitute. Chicken starter is also okay in a real pinch, but it's lower in protein, so not recommended for the long haul. Remember that birds don't feed their babies at night, so at least you don't have to be getting up around the clock.

If it's tiny, you can keep it in a kitchen mixing bowl overnight with some clean paper towels or kleenex in the bottom, and clip a standard 7 1/2 watt bulb on the in of the box (not too close to fry him or her) for warmth. During the day, they need to eat every 15 minutes or so they tell me....be sure that you refrigerate the extra formula. I'd think about trying to make a smaller batch myself, that's a whole lot of formula. Some birds will quit eating after 4 to eight mouthfuls, and that usually means they're full now. However, some (sparrows mostly) will try to keep eating and could injure or kill themselves if you just keep stuffing them, so figure on moderation.

I used to handfeed cockatiels and parakeets and could pretty well judge when their crop was full by the feel of it, so you may want to try feeling the crop ahead of time to see what empty is like, and then gauge your progress. You don't want to fill it like a balloon, but it should swell somewhat.

Good luck, keep us up to date on how it goes. I'll check back on here later tonight if you're having any problems, and I'm sure there are a lot of other people out there who could help if you go through the archives. There was a baby squirrel thread that several people logged onto who are rehabbers, you can try contacting them for advice.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001

Just a note, the baby squirrel thread was on CS forum.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001

Come on Sue! You know what to do. Chew and spit!!..Ha!...Kirk

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001

It suddenly occured to me later tonight that I'm not even sure that killdeer DO regurgitate to their babies...are they precocial birds? In that case the babies may forage on their own for bugs and such, in which case maybe you can offer the food mixed up wet in a dish?

Joy's right tho, that was in the Countryside archives. That also occured to me later tonight. Didn't have my thinking cap straight on, I'd just gotten some bad news that a friend is in the hospital in bad shape, and a phone call from someone else trying to deal with their mare who abruptly dried up and the new foal won't take a bottle. It's always something... Hope everything is going okay for you.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2001

Thanks guys -

And Kirk - ROFLMAO!!!!!

He's safe and sound at the rehabber this morning... Found one through the emergency vet. Seems the critters imprint, so I figured since I don't have my license for this state yet (and really didn't want to be up all night for a few days) I'd let the 'pros' handle this one.

I did save all the info from everybody though - never know when the hubby will be surprising me with another 'pet'... Quite a shocker from HIM, lol!! Never had to deal with a Killdeer before... Didn't even really know where to start!

Squirrel thread??? Did I miss something?

Thanks again guys - I know where to go to get great info!!!!

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2001