In the spring, when birds hatch offspring, chicks that have fallen out of the nest are not uncommon. Yellow-billed birds look so pitiful that people begin to be tormented by remorse and take their chicks home to go out, warm them up and save them. So, you took a tiny sparrow chick with you. So, you need to feed him with something.
If you have picked up and brought home a sparrow chick that has fallen out of the nest, first find a place for it. A small box will do, with a soft cloth lined at the bottom. Make sure the chick doesn't jump out of it. Very tiny birds need heating. To do this, you can use a heating pad or just a bottle of warm water.
What can you feed a sparrow chick?
First of all, it should be remembered that the chicks of insectivorous small birds - larks, tits, sparrows - eat food in a volume of 3/4 of their weight in one day. It is best for the bird's diet to be based on insects familiar to her: worms, flies, grasshoppers, bugs, larvae. However, of course, getting them is not easy.
For some reason, in books, fairy tales, films, sparrows are usually fed with bread. But in no case should this be done. You can give the chick baked goods no more than once every 2 days, and even then only in the form of a crumb soaked in milk. In addition, you can give a little bit of finely chopped boiled or raw meat, ground in a mortar and steamed cereal seeds or oatmeal.
Vegetables are also suitable for feeding - beets, cucumbers, carrots. They need to be grated and squeezed out of excess juice. You can also feed the sparrow chick with boiled egg or cottage cheese. The main thing is that this food is unsalted. It is advisable to add a little coal or crushed chalk to the food - the chick will be happy with such a seasoning. In turn, it is strictly forbidden to give salt to birds.
Try to let the chick eat on its own, however, if it doesn't work, you can feed it by opening its beak with tweezers. Since the bird is still small, you need to feed it often - at least once every 2 hours. This is a rather difficult task, and therefore it is believed that it is difficult to feed the chicks of small birds. In addition, do not forget that in addition to food, the bird should also have clean water in the free access.
Before you hatch a sparrow chick, think
Before leaving a sparrow chick, think about it: perhaps it is better to leave it where you found it? In most cases, fledglings fall out of the nests. This is the name for chicks who still cannot fly, but made their first attempt to try it. Their adult parents then try to feed their offspring already on the ground.
If there are not a large number of stray dogs and cats in the district, the chance for such a chick to survive in the wild is significantly higher than at home. It must be borne in mind that often birds die at home due to improper feeding or maintenance. And if you really want to take an active part in saving the chick, it may be better to place a feeder with food where the fallen chick is, than to feed it in a cage at home. Remember, captive-bred birds often die after being released into the environment.
