Newborn Baby Robin All Alone!!

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Is there anyone on list who has experience with hand raising baby birds?!

We had severe thunderstorms and heavy winds last night and this morning I went down to check on my pool and on the way back up to the house found a very mangled nest on the ground, some blue egg shell and this teeny tiny weak new little baby! It was pouring here again and I couldn't just leave it outside to freeze and starve, mum and dad are no where to be seen, I've been watching the area for over an hour and all the surrounding trees, etc.
I'm assuming it's a robin from the blue shells, I collect bird nests and egg parts that I find on the ground and what I can see of the nest looks like a robin nest as well. It was good sized.
I searched the area high and low and found no other eggs or babies.
What do I do with this little guy?
I've put him in one of my dry clean nests that I have in my collection and into a bowl that is on top of a heating pad on low. He/She obviously has no feathers, eyes are closed, and has a huge bulging belly. The neck is still curled under like how it would have fit in it's egg.
I know someone who is a wildlife rehabber and I have called her and left a message. Anything I can do?!
What if they don't get back to me, should I feed it? What?
I have syringes in the house...
Poor little thing

 

[wegotchickens]

Got any canned cat food? The really mushy kind?
Put a little dab of that on your finger, spit on it, and then try to feed it to the bird. Does it cheep at you? Chirp back and then try to stick your messy finger in his mouth.

The spit is to give it enzymes it's body doesn't have yet.
It's a meat eater, so the cat food is good for it.

That's what I was told when I finished raising a baby robin, by a guy who worked in the aviary at the zoo.

Bear in mind I was given this advice 20+ years ago (and its doggone depressing to realize that!!!!!!)

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Thanks, No canned cat food in the house that I know of but I will tear up my pantry in a moment.. I have plenty of dry though. Can I soak some in warm water and make it all mushy?

 

[wegotchickens]

I don't know. Maybe too much carbs?
Do you have canned dog food? Maybe you could skim off the gravy for the baby...

Is it peeping and active, or in shock?

 

[arlee453]

Dry cat food - use warm water (not too hot, not cold - you don't want to chill the baby) to make a mash out of it.

I use tweezers to feed it.

Keeping it warm is the main thing right now - it may not eat until it is no longer chilled - you want him to be nice a toasty before you attempt to feed or iut won't be able to digest the food either way.

Good luck!

I've raised robins before from a nest in the exact same situation and had them do very well.

 

[jjthink]

If you can, take it to a wildlife rehab center. If there are none in your neck of the woods, call one and ask them to talk you through caring for the little munchkin. Very fragile if very young.
You can google for wildlife rehab centers but certainly a really big and well known one is Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research in Wilmington, Delaware.
Thank you very much for wanting to help the little baby and sending many wishes for a happy outcome.
JJ

Edited to say - oops!!! - I see you called a rehabber. Hope you get a return call quick so you have some assist in this. Thanks again for trying to help the teeny one. I thought about baby birds when that storm hit last night...we got fierce winds and HAIL!!

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Ok... How warm should he be?

It's tough because he's obviously not walking around like baby chickens do, so I can judge if it's too hot or too cold by him walking away from or toward the light.
He is barely warm to the touch, much better than he was, he was COLD.

I still haven't heard back from the rehabber, we'll see

Does anyone know if all chicks develop like chicken chicks, i.e; That the yolk is absorbed last, giving it enough nutrition for a couple of days which is why hatcheries ship newly hatched chicks? Is that why this little guys belly is bulging, from his yolk?

He has like less than 10 little downy feathers on his whole body and the rest of him is very translucent pink skin. Think pinkie baby mouse.

He is not cheeping or making any sounds at all. He is moving around, sort of scooching on his side, he's very new, you can just tell.

How often should he be eating?

Thanks for all the info so far!

 

[chickenzoo]

If you have any of the crumbly chick starter that makes a good mash when wet, you can give it some of that. Make it look like baby food, not to firm or to wet and draw it up in a suringe. If itjust hatched this might be a little better and then give soft cat/dog food as it ages. P.S was always told spit from us was bad for parrots and such.

 

[chickenzoo]

I do believe they are like other baby birds and absorb the yoke, but I would not let it go too long w/o eating though it may be some time before it is ready. it has to warm up first. if you have any therometers to put in with it to gage tepms that would be helpful. They are slower than chicks and take longer to grow move about. i would take an old towel and make a nest in a box, and put a light source near. if you do not hear fom the rehab person, if you are able,pick up some parrot feeding formula from a pet store. Once it starts eating they norally feed every 2 hours.

 

[beakkeeper]

I fed a baby bird with (eww) chopped up worms, dog food, bread, and water all mushed up. Then I squeezed it into its mouth with a syringe. Do the same for water. Keep it covered, but not smothered, and relatively warm. you'll have to feed it a lot!

Good luck.