How to care for baby chick (might be blue tit)

[Pam_D_5]

Hi,

Our cat somehow managed to bring back a nest of 3 baby chicks, but the 2 biggest have since died. The smallest is still fighting. I'm not sure what to try to give him. Is it better if I try to put the nest and the lone survivor back out in the hedge-row somewhere (will the parents find him?) or should I try to feed him? He is very small. Downy feathers on his head, and feather shafts that look like blue and yellow, so i'm guessing he may be a blue tit, but I don't know.

Thanks.

[RKB]

You haven't got much chance of keeping it alive. But to try you need to warm it up. First thing, immediately, is to put the chick against your warm chest for 5 mins. It is going to die of hypothermia unless it gets warmed up (they cannot regulate their own body temperature).

It needs to have a 'hot water bottle' placed in with it. About 35C (very warm but not hot to the touch). You can use any small sealable food bag that doesn't leak (don't get the chick wet, whatever you do). Replace often, to keep it warm.

Feed it with small pieces of dog/cat food on the end of a tootpick or small nail - you'll need to open the beak and push it to the back of the throat at first. You can also use hard-boiled egg yolk dipped in water (so it's damp, not wet)

Ring St Tiggywinkles for advice/local contact (google them).

If you put it back in the hedge it will die.

And please consider keeping your cat indoors to stop it adding to the tens of millions of birds and small mammals that are needlessly killed each year through irresponsible ownership. I too have a cat, and it lives in the house, is perfectly happy, and it doesn't kill local wildlife. (sorry if that sounds harsh but it is irresponsible to allow cats to roam on their own - besides the wildlife it's also antisocial for the neighbours).

[Pam_D_5]

Thanks. Have him on a hot water bottle now, and tried feeding him cat food. I managed to get the food into his mouth a few times but he keeps struggling and shaking it out of his beak each time. He's so tiny I don't want to stress him out too much either. Should I just keep trying until I see he swallows something for sure, or should I let him have a break for a while?

[RKB]

Originally Posted by Pam_D_5

Thanks. Have him on a hot water bottle now, and tried feeding him cat food. I managed to get the food into his mouth a few times but he keeps struggling and shaking it out of his beak each time. He's so tiny I don't want to stress him out too much either. Should I just keep trying until I see he swallows something for sure, or should I let him have a break for a while?

Post a photo so we can see what it is and how old, and give better advice.

You need to push the food right to the back of the throat, behind the tongue, and it will swallow it. Start with small pieces. It will die very shortly unless it eats. Hold the head with one hand, use a nail or toothpick to prize open the beak, maybe use a finger to prop it open, then with the other hand use the toothpick/small nail to poke the food in, then poke it right to the back. make sure it's at room temperature (not straight from the fridge). Also nothing too sloppy, or it could drown it. But it has to be moist as that's the only drink it will get. Don't give liquids, you'll drown it.

it needs feeding at least every hour, over at least 17 hours of the day.

[Pam_D_5]

Uploaded the image. He's beside a pound coin to give you an idea of his size:
SNV31495 - Wild About Britain Pics

[Pam_D_5]

He's taken 2 forced feeds of cat food, but he's still not asking for food.
I only just worked out how to add a thumbnail picture to the post. Here he is:



Could he be a chaffinch chick? Should I be feeding him something else?

[RKB]

Yes, it's a chaffinch chick by the looks of it, about 8 days old. I hand-reared one of these a few years ago. Stick with the cat food or egg for now. But you really need to get it to someone who knows what they're doing. Definitely ring St Tiggywinkles for advice on local places to you - it's difficult and time-consuming to rear a chick so you really are better off off-loading to someone who's skilled if you can.

I fed mine on live mealworms (mail order from livefood.co.uk Livefood UK Ltd. ) and cooked, cooled garden peas (broken in half/quarters). But stick with cat food if you're not sure how to handle the mealworms (you need to remove the head and kill them before feeding).

When you feed it you'll see the food appear in the crop either side of the neck, under the skin. Feed until this bulges a bit, and then feed again when it's empty (every hour or so).

Remember to keep it warm, if it cools to room temperature then it will die in a few hours. You can help keep it warm by keeping it in a small woolly sock lined with a tissue (to keep clean), like a little sleeping bag (fold it back so it has air!). Sit that on the heat source. Overnight, keep it in an airing cupboard to keep a little warmer.

Feed it when you go to bed (doesn't have to be daylight) and then again first thing, don't leave it more than 6 hours without food.

It might be a few days before it learns to beg for food from you.