Fed some baby robins this weekend

[Patti from Kentucky]

Jeane and I went to a Girl Scout camp reunion this weekend, and one of our friends there had rescued some young American Robins whose nest blew down in storms about a week ago.  She's a stay-at-home mother, so she decided to take on the task of raising these young birds, and has been doing feedings every 30 minutes until nightfall.  Since she needed to continue this regimen over the weekend, she brought the birds (in a cage) to the G.S. reunion and I helped her with one of the feedings (she invited me because she knows I like birds). 

There are three nestlings, and one is significantly less developed than the others; she's concerned about its health because it's developing more slowly, but it seemed to have a very healthy appetite!  She'd brought a coffee can full of worms (still alive in the dirt), so we pulled worms out, tried to clean as much dirt off of them as we could, and then stuffed them down into the baby robins' throats.  They were very obliging about opening their wide beaks, but it still took a couple of tries to get my technique right...it helped to sort of fold the worms to make them slightly more compact.  Carol said last week when they weren't as fully feathered, you could watch the worms wriggling in their crops...ewww.

The more developed two were very active, and I think are very close to being ready to fledge.  She's hoping that if she releases them near there original nest, perhaps their parents (or any robin parents, really) will find them and take care of them as young fledglings...otherwise I guess she's hoping they'll return if they get hungry.  She always takes them out of the cage for feedings, which gives her a chance to clean the cage (baby robins make quite a mess), and gives them a chance to exercise, which they were all taking advantage of...quite a bit of hopping around and wing-flapping.

One of the birds hopped onto my lap once s/he'd had his/her fill, then flapped from there onto my shoulder, and sat on my shoulder for a long time, seemingly content, while the other two got fed.  It was really fun!

So, I just wanted to share, 'cause it was a really great experience for me!

[Tokira]

Very cool :-)
The baby robin I raised got little strips of raw beef liver, and canned cat food.  You're right about them being messy.  My little guy would lean out over his "nest" and poop every time I fed him/her.  When he got bigger, and started flapping, I put perches in a cat cage I had, and encouraged him to fly from the perch.  That was back when Gaines Burgers dog food was sold, and I teased out the individual "worms", and put them on the floor, "those are WORMS, You EAT them".  On release day, I took him out on the porch roof near the apple tree, and he flew to a branch.  After a few minutes, another bird, (not a robin), came and sat beside him.  They sat there for about a half hour, and flew off together.  I like to think he made it :-)
Carol
WV

[Bobbie Ireland]

Looking forward to more reports, Patti and Carol. Those babies have chosen good foster-moms.
 

[Wing Goose]

Patti,
I liked your encounter with the baby birds!
No adventures like that here.  But I am
enjoying everyone else who has stories.
         
          Lola

[Kris G.]

 What fun for you, Patti! Thanks for sharing!