I did something stupid, now I need help

[TheofficialParakeet]

So, Im willing to pay the fine whatever. I took house finch eggs off my porch, birds like to lay eggs randomly on my porch. Umm and well now I have a baby bird. all three pipped, one is hatched. 2 on the way. I have a formula as they eat parrot formula. all of the rescues in my area are shut down, and from experience, transporting a baby bird this young kills them. so umm any help? how to feed, how much to feed, hygene... EVERYTHING.. im so stupid for doing this.. I should have just let nature take its course... well I didn't so please dont give me criticisim for this.. I just need help.

 

[TheofficialParakeet]

Here is the baby bird, the egg type (correct me if it is not a house finch), the incubation (wet bulb) temp. Is being able to see the yolk through the skin normal?

As you see in one of the photos, he is acting hungry. I read that they dont need to eat for 12 hours. is this correct information? Is he doing this out of instinct?

 

[wrench13]

Right the yolk is to nourish the baby for the first few hours after hatching. Whew you have taken on a big task if you intend to try and raise and wean this baby, They need to be kept warm, with even temperature, usually an incubator is used. Feeding a thinned out baby parrot formula might work. Feed with a eye dropper or syringe, but no idea on the amount - feed until its refused. Temperature of the formula is critical, monitor it with a thermometer, temp per the instructions on the formula info. I would offer it 4X a day to start with. Here is a good link to a lot of info:

https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/so-you-bought-an-unweaned-baby.74363/

 

[clark_conure]

If it works out good job.....I'll be monitoring to see how it goes.

 

[ravvlet]

Hey! I gather from another post you’ve made here that you are in Florida! The good news is, according to the administrative code for the Fish and Wildlife Commission (68 A-6.003, Permit Requirement and Exceptions), you do NOT need a permit to raise or keep house finches - so you are not legally required to turn over your new charges to a rehabilitator (although you may choose to do so should rearing them prove too arduous).

This is of course assuming they are house finch eggs, which I am not an expert on identifying.

It sounds like you’ve already tried to contact your local rescues, but just in case, here is the list of licensed rehabilitators for the state:

https://myfwc.com/media/5423/licensedwildliferehabilitatorsbyregion.pdf

If the ones closest to you are no longer in service, you may be able to contact someone further out who can give you specific advice over the phone.

As for rearing your babies, house finches are similar to other species of finch in their care requirements. Some folks have had success hand rearing zebra or gouldian finches. Google “handfeeding house finch” and you’ll find a couple guides that seem very thorough. I am not an expert as I’ve only had to handfeed small mammals and sick poultry, but my grandmother used to raise orphaned songbirds. Because they are very, very small when they’re first hatched, they require a lot of care and patience so you don’t accidentally overfeed or aspirate them.

I really like this guide, as it seems to cover all the important points very well, including setting up a brooder and sanitation: http://www.finchinfo.com/breeding/handfeeding.php

Hand rearing birds this small is a mixed bag; you can do everything right and still lose them, so please be gentle with yourself.

 

[Littleredbeak]

How are they doing??!!

 

[TheofficialParakeet]

Two are KICKING! Im working on formula for the first and will offer to the second. The third one is right now still attached to the umbilicul corn, but is halfway out of the egg. I didnt realize How quickly they shot out of their egg lol.



edit : they are still absorbing their yolks. They would try to feed. but couldnt.

 

[TheofficialParakeet]

Oh man... Iv'e already JUST lost one (( . I Feed them but it seems to go in a blackhole. it doesnt look like they have a crop... How do i do thissss

 

[BirdyBee]

Oh man... Iv'e already JUST lost one (( . I Feed them but it seems to go in a blackhole. it doesnt look like they have a crop... How do i do thissss

I am so sorry...

I have never raised finches sadly so I don't want to give any advice that can kill them...

 

[HeatherG]

Do you have an eye dropper or transfer pipette (little flexible plastic eye dropper)? That would be the best thing to feed these guys with.

My other concern is that I think house finches are partly insectivorous so I’m not sure if parrot formula is the best for them.

I’ve never raised such tiny birds. Good luck.

 

[Kentuckienne]

I have never hand fed a bird, but from what I read there are two major risks. One…you can’t just drip the food in, you have to sort of inject it into the crop with a tube or syringe or something. You know how you have one mouth, but the throat branches and one tube goes to the stomach and one to the lungs? Birds also have an airway and a crop, and you have to get the food into the crop. You will see the crop bulge out when it’s full. Two, the food has to be a very specific temperature. If it’s too cold, it can sort of sit in the crop and not digest, causing the food to ferment - “sour crop” which is an infection. If it’s too hot, it can scald the tissues and kill them, causing the bird to die in a painful way. You shouldn’t just check in on your wrist…warm it, stir it, let the temp even out so there aren’t hot spots, and check with a thermometer. If you don’t have the proper equipment, you can fake it with what you do have, as long as you understand the reasons for each step then you can figure out how to manage it safely.

 

[ravvlet]

Oh man... Iv'e already JUST lost one (( . I Feed them but it seems to go in a blackhole. it doesnt look like they have a crop... How do i do thissss

They have to be fed very, very frequently at this age. Here’s an excerpt from the hand feeding article I linked in my previous post:

Age: 1 Day​

When the chick first hatches, place a little pedialyte around its beak. Within forty-five minutes after it has hatched, the first real feeding may be given. This is done by mixing a very small amount of formula (which will be mostly pedialyte) and given to the bird by means of a flat toothpick. Scoop the formula up little by little with the toothpick and place it within the birds beak and not down its throat (do not force this, if the chick refuses to take it, try gently tapping its beak or stroking its back to encourage begging). Continue feeding it regularly whenever the crop is emptied (usually every hour). Also, four night feedings should be given to strengthen the baby.

Age: 2 Days​

The same procedure for a 1 day old finch should be used here, however, pedialyte should be exchanged for water. Also, reduce night feedings to 3 times per night.

They have to be fed very, very often during the day. If you do not have a crop feeding extension (instructions to make one is also in the article) you can use a flat ended toothpick to offer them small amounts as per the instructions.

@HeatherG Actually, house finches primarily eat plant matter, and only supplement with insects infrequently (and largely small insects like aphids). Vegetable matter is the overwhelming majority of their diet in the wild!

@Kentuckienne has excellent advice here. The article outlines proper temperature and sanitation for preparing their food also.

This is a huge undertaking, especially if you’ve never hand fed a bird, as even experienced wildlife rehabilitators lose some or all of the chicks if they are this young. Your best bet may be redoubling your efforts to find someone with more experience. I wish I could be more helpful here, but I’ve only had to tube feed mammals (a kitten, actually) and birds are much more fragile.

 

[Talaya]

I agree with Ravvlet, I reared two babies that had been abandoned. Albeit several days older.. they need feeding every 2 hours and then through the night too. if you don’t know about crop feeding, don’t try, you could do more damage than good.. instead just offer one tiny drop on the tip of its tongue, not into its throat and let the bird swallow on its own. When it’s had enough it will close its beak and hunker back down like it would in a nest. It will take longer this way to feed but will be safer. my two successfully made it to fledgeing but one couldn’t fly upwards and was got by a cat, the other stayed in the area , they still need support when they have first fledged and it had learnt my call, so I was able to still feed it once or twice a day for about a week, with soaked calciworms fed on long handled tweezers.

 

[TheofficialParakeet]

I feed it, they have gained 2 grams today. But, it doesn't show up in their crop. do they not have a crop? I know they are swallowing and digesting, they are pooping and I watch them swallow.

 

[ravvlet]

They do have a crop! Most (but not all) birds do. However, their crop takes some time to expand to full size, which is part of why the initial feeding schedule is so frequent.

Here is another good article about hand feeding finches, with photos:

HAND FEEDING | Laraine's Lady Gouldians

If you choose to hand feed, you'll want to know a few things first. Like a human newborn, baby birds need to be fed on a regular schedule. Unlike a human newborn, baby birds need to be fed much more often - like every 20-30 minutes for the first few days! You will have to prepare yourself for...

ladygouldian.com

Ah, this one has photos starting from day 3, where the crop is clearly visible:

Hand Raising A Society Finch From An Egg - With Pictures

In October 2014 I got a pair of society finches, the male (Tweety Bird or TB) loved building and rebuilding the nest for his mate (named R). She would lay a clutch of eggs and every time they would stop sitting on the eggs halfway through...

www.backyardchickens.com

I pulled the photo and circled the bit that's the crop visible on a 3 day old society finch chick:

 

[Talaya]

I feed it, they have gained 2 grams today. But, it doesn't show up in their crop. do they not have a crop? I know they are swallowing and digesting, they are pooping and I watch them swallow.

That’s sounds great. I know not every single species of bird have a crop. Eg owls & emus..I wouldn’t know if yours do or not.. It could be so small you can’t see it when it’s full. don’t worry about it, if they’ve survived a couple of days and are pooping it sounds like you’re doing the right thing x

 

[HeatherG]

House finches do indeed have a crop. It’s just very tiny in these neonates.

I would be surprised if any bird did not have a crop. It’s function is to soften their food as they don’t have much saliva in their beaks, nor do they have teeth to chew and grind it up.

 

[TheofficialParakeet]

I am feeding ghem so much, and the crop NEVER expands. Yet they are pooping huge healthy poops

 

[HeatherG]

I am feeding ghem so much, and the crop NEVER expands. Yet they are pooping huge healthy poops

Good job, finch momma!!

 

[eman]

I no nothing about raising newly born birds, but I have one advice from the bird breeder I follow. He keeps saying to make sure that the bird is always completely clean after feeding and also it’s place. He keeps saying how this is a very important thing to do (cleaning)