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© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
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From staff reports
Orphaned baby birds require three things for possible survival: warmth, proper nutrition, and quiet.
Handle no more than is absolutely necessary.
Keep the surrogate nest at 95+ degrees. A berry basket from the local grocery store makes a comfortable
substitute nest. Line it with soft towel (not terry) or tissues. Position basket on a towel covered heating
pad.
Make sure there are several towel thicknesses to prevent too much heat reaching the baby bird. Place a
thermometer in the nest to monitor the temperature.
Also place a small square of wet sponge in the nest to provide proper humidity for the baby bird. Bird's
nests in nature are not hot and dry, but even exposed to all kinds of weather elements they remain
warm and moist.
Baby Robins usually open their eyes about six days after hatching and have full use of their bodies
about the same time. They need to be fed approximately every 20 minutes from around 7 a.m. until
sunset.
Vitamin D-3 from sunshine is vital for proper feathering in all baby birds. From age 15 days plus, Robins
should begin to be self feeding. However, the Robin is probably one of the slowest songbirds to become
totally self sufficient while being captive raised. One of the biggest problems in captive raising them is
hand feeding them too long.
Successful captive baby Robin emergency feeding formulas
The following formulas will successfully feed most insectivorous perching birds.
The North American Wildlife Health Care Center uses this basic diet with insect and seed eaters with
success.
1 cup soaked puppy chow or
8-in-one Mynah Bird Food
2 tbs. baby beef or baby veal
1 tbs. cooked egg yolk
1/2 tsp. ground egg shell or finely ground oyster shell or steamed bone meal
2tbs. turkey starter mash
1 tbs. high protein baby cereal
1/4 tsp debittered brewers yeast
1/4 tsp Dyne (high calorie liquid diet)
1/4 tsp. Lactobacillus
Mix together thoroughly and freeze in ice tray and thaw as needed.
*** Use only high quality puppy chow. Adult dog food is too high in fat for baby birds.
*** Dyne is a high calorie liquid formulated to contain a maximum of nutritive value in a minimum of
liquid volume. It helps to keep electrolytes balanced.
*** Never give a baby bird water! It gets all it needs from food.
*** Never feed a baby bird milk and bread. It will not sustain life and is not digestible.
Baby Robin emergency feeding formula #2
This diet has also been used successfully by the North American Wildlife Health Care Center's
Rehabilitation Team to raise both seed and insect eating songbirds.
1/2 jar (3.5 oz.) strained baby meat - chicken or turkey
1/2 cup Feline Science Diet Maintenance Formula.
1/2 tsp. avian vitamins. (May be purchased from your vet, or local pet store that sells cage birds.)
1/4 teaspoon debittered brewers yeast. (Purchase at your local health food store.) ***Do not use baking
yeast.
1/4 tsp. wheat germ (without added honey.)
1/4 tsp. powdered kelp. (purchase at your local health food store.) This adds minerals that are not found
in captivity elsewhere.
1/8 tsp Pet Tinic - B-Complex liquid vitamins. (Purchase from a veterinarian supply house.)
1/4 tsp. Lactobacillus
Mix ingredients together thoroughly. You may freeze, thaw and use as needed.
Baby Robin emergency feeding formula #3
This diet may be used with insect or seed eaters. The North American Wildlife rehab team has also used
this formula successfully.
1 cup soaked puppy chow or
8-in-one Mynah bird food
1 tablespoon of baby beef or baby veal canned baby food.
1 tbs. cooked egg yolk
1 tbs. turkey starter
1 tbs. high protein baby cereal
1/4 tsp. debittered brewers yeast
1/3 tsp. Dyne (high calorie liquid)
Mix together thoroughly and freeze in ice trays and thaw as needed.
Turkey starter must be stored in a cool, dry place where mold will not develop. Mold is deadly to baby
or adult birds.
A well balanced commercially prepared baby bird feeding formula may be purchased from Lafeber
Company - Nutri-Start. Check with your veterinarian. or write Lafeber Company, R.R.2, Odell, IL 60460
or call 1-800-842-6445. Also, you may wish to check with your local pet supply center.
Baby bird feeding schedule
Frequency Age
Every 15-20 minutes 0-4 days
Every 20-30 minutes 4-8 days
Every 30-45 minutes 8-12 days
Every 45-60 minutes 12-16 days
Every 2 hours 16 days to fledgeling
It is important to feed baby birds on schedule. A missed feeding cannot be made up by overfeeding at the
next feeding. Due to the extremely rapid growth rate baby birds require almost constant feeding. Baby
birds should be fed from dawn to dusk. This simulates the schedule the parent birds follow in nature.
If you begin a 7 a.m. continue through 7 p.m. You do not have to feed baby birds throughout the night.
Baby birds are brooded by the mother at night who does not hunt for food until first light.
Some baby birds have to be taught to gape for food initially
Not all baby birds gape for food naturally. You may have to coax them a little until they gape on their
own.
*** Gently wiggle the nest box or basket.
*** Make a soft hissing or whistling sound.
*** Peck gently on the side of the baby's bill.
*** Hold your hand cupped over the baby bird's head for a few seconds. When you remove your hand,
the baby usually responds with a gape.
Caring for Orphaned Robins
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