I found a baby bird in the yard my puppies were trying to play with. I put it in a safe place to try and fly away or walk away but after three hours it has no moved. It can walk and its wings are not hurt but it is to young to fly. I believe it is in shock but have no way to help it. Veterinary clinics do not open until the morning so I have it all night. Should I bring it inside? Should I try and feed it? If so what? Should I try and give it water? After two hours I tried to give it water and a small cut piece of a worm but it would not open its mouth. It has been two hours since and has gone the bathroom twice. What should I do till the morning?

Usually when they are young and out of the nest, the parents have abandoned it. It is survival of the fitest and although that sounds cruel, it is what it is. The little thing is too weak to survive.

You seal its fate as soon as you touch it, if the parents would dry to retrieve it afterwards, the human scent would turn them away.

I hate to tell you this, but its what my dad told me when I was young, and tried to help, you just have to leave it be, sorry. It will go back into the food chain.

No it's not wrong even if you touched it. It happened with me before, a baby of red vented bulbul fall from it's nest , it was raining and we couldn't put it there until morning. So we kept it in a basket, feed it some cooked soft rice and put it on soft cloth and next day left it his nest. He was fine after. You can put some water in small pan and also put some rice. Better to keep him dark place, light can disturb them.

@smkanand I know that was your own opinion but I think entirely wrong; the adult birds will not come near a bird, that has fallen, or been kicked out of the next by the adults, and the human scent has been on it. Baby birds are completely dependent on the adults to be fed and they don't need water, do not eat rice.

I know it is a nice thought, but there are incidents in nature that are not nice but completely necessary and it happens.

You cannot save a baby bird.

Actually it's completely possible to hand raise a baby bird that has been abandoned. I've done it several times. Or you can call a wild life rescue organization and see if they can help you.

I used a good quality cat food ground up with enough water to make a medium paste and I used a syringe. This is what was recommended to me after speaking to a bird sanctuary that wouldnt/couldnt take in non-native birds (this was a beautifully ugly little startling) You might have to gently get it started by opening its mouth but it can be successful.

The worst thing in the world is to handle it and then leave it to it's sad fate.

Tickle, I have to disagree. Birds will not abandon their young if a human touches it. That's a common misconception, and old wives tale. It's not at all true.

If it's old enough to walk, and seems fully grown, but can't fly, it sounds like it fell out of the nest trying to fly. Robins do this all the time. The babies often try to fly long before they're ready, and end up all over the place. The mother and father Robin will continue feeding them out of the nest. Of course the risk is great, as a non flying bird they're easy prey especially in a residential neighborhood where there are dogs, cats, and other predators.

I somewhat agree with Garnet, but as someone that's raised wild birds, and has an uncle that raised dozens, all successfully released into the wild, I'd recommend dog food, not cat food. Dog food has more nutrients.

It will be hard work, young birds have to eat often, which means you'll have to get up during the night to feed it if it's very young. Also, make sure it's kept warm, and in a separate room from your dog.

If you handle it correctly, and it survives, there's no reason that you can't release it into the wild once it can fly on its own.

Good luck.

I'd love pictures so I can identify the bird. :)

snopes.com: Baby Birds Rejected by Mother
It is a myth.

Many years ago we found a baby Goldfinch. We fed it something called pablem, that we got at the pet store. We had to feed it every hour basically.
"Woodstock" the Goldfinch died when he was 10 years old.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sariss

snopes.com: Baby Birds Rejected by Mother
It is a myth.

Many years ago we found a baby Goldfinch. We fed it something called pablem, that we got at the pet store. We had to feed it every hour basically.
"Woodstock" the Goldfinch died when he was 10 years old.

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Great link Sariss. Sadly, that myth has been around for a long time, and obviously many people still believe it. :(

We all had our own opinions of baby bird rescue, I had mine. Mine is coming from a farm environment where this was just not possible, time and money were tight, but if it was our dogs, cats, horses, etc. there was always time and money for them. If it was a duck that got in the way in a horse stall and got stomped on, it was dinner that night. Sorry, that's the way it goes.

As for the reddie I got, I don't mind, it was still my opinion, I couldn't access the link put in with the reddie.

Sariss had a good post; that type of bird must be very hard to care for, they are so tiny.

In our garden we have doves, robins, blue jays, cardinals, finches, all kinds of song birds.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tickle

We all had our own opinions of baby bird rescue, I had mine. Mine is coming from a farm environment where this was just not possible, time and money were tight, but if it was our dogs, cats, horses, etc. there was always time and money for them. If it was a duck that got in the way in a horse stall and got stomped on, it was dinner that night. Sorry, thats the way it goes.

As for the reddie i got, I dont mind, it was still my opinion, I couldnt access the link put in with the reddie.

Sariss had a good post; that type of bird must be very hard to care for, they are so tiny.

In our garden we have doves, robins, blue jays, cardinals, finches, all kinds of song birds.

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Tickle, I'm confused. I don't see where the OP asked the cost for raising a baby bird, or if she can afford it, or if she should eat it. I also don't see where it says that she lives on a farm, or where it says that her life is like yours was.

She simply asked how to care for the baby bird. If you couldn't offer any advice on the care of a baby bird, I don't understand why you answered this question.

Your opinion, based on your life on the farm, really doesn't matter in this post, as it has nothing to do with caring for a baby bird.

Sadly in this case the OP didn't come back, and likely didn't see the advice given on how to actually care for this bird. :(