Help Injured Fledgling!

maidai · #1 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 10:30 PM

Earlier this evening we had to take an injured flegling to the vets to have it euthanised as it had been had hold of and its wing was broken and was freezing cold and in a state.
A couple of hours ago we found another injured fledgling and the wings seem to be okay but it has a really nasty skin would under the wing on the body. I placed the bird where Mum and Dad could feed it and they were but went out earlier and found a cat just about to take it again, chased it off and ten minutes again it was at risk.
We have bought the young one in and warmed it up and I can take it to my vet in the morning who is already rearing one young blackbird and a moorhen. I dont have wax worms or anything suitable here to offer and it is hungry but the parents are keeping a low profile due to the cat although they did try to run it off earlier and nearly ended up getting injured in the process. Will it be okay over night? Is it safe to try to feed it small worms? I know that some will say we should have left it to the cat but I run a dog rescue and that part of me that steps up to the mark to try and help even when all hope seems to be gone just stepped in.

posie · #2 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 10:41 PM

..Hello and Welcome to WAB...I would have done the same as you. You could try putting it out at first light in an open top box in a sheltered spot, under some bushes or similar, the parents will possibly come and feed it, and as long as you can keep that ** cat away from it, at least it would have a feed, (which will also hydrate it) cos the vet won't be open that early. How bad is the wound?..Posie..

posie · #3 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 10:45 PM

Have you tried using a 'water pistol' to shoot water at the cat to put it off coming into your garden. an empty washing up liquid bottle is second best to squirt water...

maidai · #4 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 10:48 PM

Thank you so much Posie. I am worried the wound is going to need liquid baytril. Its under the wing on the torso and is a V shaped tear all the top skin is ripped back but the under neath is in tact. There is a bit of dry blood on it.
The bird is hungry bless it and constantly chirriping at me, I know my vet will do the necessary but wondered without having access at this time of night to wax worms if there is anything I can give it and how long it will go without food? Mum and Dad were feeding it till around dusk. I am not sure what is okay and whether they can have garden worms? My son is happy to go out and dig me some up to try and get a feed in it before bedtime as he is as worried as myself.
It seems happy and curious enough and is not worried about us being around in fact it happily hopped around behind me curiously and almost seemed to be following me when I headed in the first time!

maidai · #5 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by posie

Have you tried using a 'water pistol' to shoot water at the cat to put it off coming into your garden. an empty washing up liquid bottle is second best to squirt water...

I actually run a greyhound rescue and have 9 greyhounds and lurchers here at the moment the cats are massively out of control around here sadly with irresponsible owners and seem to get off on running the risk of the dogs and our garden its like some extreme obsticle course to them. It was one of my current foster dogs that got hold of the first fledgling and I was furious so have been supervising garden trips since but its definatly a cat that has got at the second! My dogs somehow redeemed themselves when one of my long term hounds who is not good with anything off the property but great with everything on it found it and came to fetch me before heading back to it without harming a feather!

Littlesparrow · #6 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 11:10 PM

Good luck I hope it makes it through the night. I,m not sure about feeding, I have only had to deal with adult injured birds, before handing them on to the vets. If you do try worms I would cut them up a bit first so they are not so big.

maidai · #7 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 11:13 PM

Thank you x am heading off to bed and have set my alarm for 5am so I can get it outside to give it a chance to get a feed off Mum and Dad. I just could not leave it there like a sitting duck overnight. I know full well that if it survives and is not taken by a cat from dawn till we can get it to the vets if ever there was a man for the job its my vet. He was mortified tonight when he had to euthanise the other one and said had it been anything other than a badly broken wing he would have done what he could to save it.

posie · #8 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 11:13 PM

That was very clever of your long term hound to do that....My guess is that the cats would have it again...I think the vet rearing it with his other birds and giving it treatment for the wound is it's only chance of survival...now, if it was fed till dusk it should be ok, but they start to feed fledgelings at first light, so you might have to feed it then, if you're not going to put it out in hopes of parents feeding it, I think the parents chew the worms up and swallow them, and then regurgitate them with fluid for the babies, but I'm not sure, and I'm not suggesting your lovely son does that either. I expect someone who is used to bird rescue will be in soon, 'cos although there's a strong case for leaving it to the parents, they can't administer the Baytril, can they, whereas the Vet can. Hope this helps....Posie..

maidai · #9 (**permalink**) 19-06-2010, 06:50 AM

Thank you for your support last night I was so not sure whether I was doing the right thing. Thankfully little one is still with us and I have been able to check the wound this morning and it looks like its dried up nicely. Being lovely and warm over night obvioulsy helped with the shock and it was a bouncy, happy, hungry little chick that greeted me this morning so have put it back out safely and have been watching Mum and Dad feed it. I am hoping as the wound has dried up so well and clean that we may just get away with leaving it to be and allow it to get on with things naturally. It is safe enough away from the dogs for the dogs to have full access to the garden all day meaning that fingers crossed the stupid cats will stay out. I am going to re check the chick again before I go out later and if the wound is bleeding again will get it straight in to my vet but how things stands the blood has dried up nicely and the wound has a fresh scab over it.

The more I look at the shape of the mark it looks like a beak shaped cut but not sure how it would have come about that.

posie · #10 (**permalink**) 19-06-2010, 10:11 AM

That's really good news, I will be very interested to hear if the parents have continued to feed it, and how things pan out if they don't. It's VERY time consuming, but well worth it in my opinion. Good Luck with it whichever way it goes. What sort of bird is it, do you know? ps. as you probably know, crows and magpies etc. will also take fledgelings, and also babies from nests and eggs, to feed their babies...'Food Chain', 'Balance of Nature' etc., not easy for some of us to watch......Posie..