Rescued Baby Rook-advice needed

Mely

Hi all... im after some advice please. Two days ago my daughter found a baby rook by the side of the road. It looks like its fallen out of its nest,and it may have died if left where it was. Its young, and still has its fluffy feathers. She has been feeding it fish, and he is eating well and drinking. Is there anything else care wise she should be doing? Would feeding it babyfood at a later date be ok, or not? She doesnt feel the RSPCA would look after it, if she sent him to them.

BitterAndTwisted

Try feeding the little bird dog or cat-food. I doubt only fish would provide all the protein a bird like that would need. Hand-rearing young fledglings is very difficult and not always successful. Is there a wildlife rescue you could contact for advice?

snowman2_2

I know it is too late now but please, leave any fledgling birds where they are. They will usually do a lot better when left alone than when taken away. The RSPCA's advice is

The babies of most garden birds leave the nest just before they can fly. They are almost fully feathered and will try to hide in undergrowth where they are fed by their parents. Within a day of leaving the nest they can usually fly enough to escape predators and keep up with their parents who will continue to feed them. As this is usually the case the advice is to leave these birds well alone only moving them, or encouraging them to move a short distance to safety if they are in immediate danger.
Nestlings - these are baby birds that only have limited number of feathers - are different in that they are totally dependent on the security of the nest and will not fare at all well if left. If a nestling is found it will need to be contained in a well ventilated cardboard box, then take the bird directly to a local vet or contact the RSPCA 24-hour Cruelty and Advice line 0300 1234 999. Never try to replace these birds into nests as this may disturb the other babies and may also be illegal. Never try to rear baby birds yourself as they need specialist care if they are to survive in the wild.
If the bird is injured then please refer to the FAQ on injured birds. Further information on nesting birds is provided in the RSPCA Living with....nesting birds information sheet which can be downloaded from the RSPCA website.
Similar information:
Read about injured birds
Read about young birds Caution:- Handling of any animal either domestic, wild, dead or alive may be potentially hazardous. Obvious dangers include bites, scratches and general hygiene issues. Common sense should be applied in all instances and if unsure additional advice or assistance should be sought. Personal hygiene should be taken into consideration after handling any animal either domestic, wild, dead or alive.

donnac2558

Try to locate a local wildlife centre and see they will take the baby bird. Truth be told RSPCA are not interested in wild birds and since you have already taken it home. You cannot just raise it and let it go, it has to be reabiliated back into the wild again.

Mely

Thanks for all your advice - much appreciated!
The little bird has now gone to a wildlife centre.

Mely

snowman2 wrote: »

I know it is too late now but please, leave any fledgling birds where they are. They will usually do a lot better when left alone than when taken away. The RSPCA's advice is

The babies of most garden birds leave the nest just before they can fly. They are almost fully feathered and will try to hide in undergrowth where they are fed by their parents. Within a day of leaving the nest they can usually fly enough to escape predators and keep up with their parents who will continue to feed them. As this is usually the case the advice is to leave these birds well alone only moving them, or encouraging them to move a short distance to safety if they are in immediate danger.
Nestlings - these are baby birds that only have limited number of feathers - are different in that they are totally dependent on the security of the nest and will not fare at all well if left. If a nestling is found it will need to be contained in a well ventilated cardboard box, then take the bird directly to a local vet or contact the RSPCA 24-hour Cruelty and Advice line 0300 1234 999. Never try to replace these birds into nests as this may disturb the other babies and may also be illegal. Never try to rear baby birds yourself as they need specialist care if they are to survive in the wild.
If the bird is injured then please refer to the FAQ on injured birds. Further information on nesting birds is provided in the RSPCA Living with....nesting birds information sheet which can be downloaded from the RSPCA website.
Similar information:
Read about injured birds
Read about young birds Caution:- Handling of any animal either domestic, wild, dead or alive may be potentially hazardous. Obvious dangers include bites, scratches and general hygiene issues. Common sense should be applied in all instances and if unsure additional advice or assistance should be sought. Personal hygiene should be taken into consideration after handling any animal either domestic, wild, dead or alive.

Yes, i would have gone with the above advice myself. But i think my daughter panicked at the time thinking the bird would die. She has read your advice and has assured me she will leave well alone next time!

snowman2_2

It is something that crops up every spring and the advice is always the same. Certain species of bird do better in rehab centres than others - never had a rook brought in - but stress is a major factor in their deaths. Fingers crossed

vickivicki_2

I also found a baby rook and couldn't possibly have left him where he was a my two cats were already hassling him and would have ripped him to bits if I hadn't put him in a crat in my garage. what do I feed him until he can fly? Parents still around.

Hintza

Rook Pie


6 rooks pepper and salt
3 hard boiled eggs ½ lb of rough puff pastry
1 pint warm water 1 oz butter
1 lb steak ½ oz of Cox's instant powdered
1 oz flour gelatine

Sorry couldn't resist.

Interestingly we had no rook youngster deaths this year in the rookery behind the house which is quite supprising considering we did have some high winds. Last year at least 6 of the fledglings fell from their nests and died. Which with only about 16-20 nests was quite a high mortality rate.

I'm actually quite surprised you found one so young (2nd brood?) because ours all fledged and flew off about a month ago.

chuckie79

Can I just add not all RSPCA centres are bad my local one will accept wild birds. The problem is most centres don't have the facilities to look after wildlife so the staff don't get trained either.

I take birds for my local centre and a vets I used to work for. If we can we get them to our nearest wildlife centre ASAP but as it's 60 miles away it's not always possible.

mrcol1000

chuckie79 wrote: »

Can I just add not all RSPCA centres are bad my local one will accept wild birds. The problem is most centres don't have the facilities to look after wildlife so the staff don't get trained either.

I take birds for my local centre and a vets I used to work for. If we can we get them to our nearest wildlife centre ASAP but as it's 60 miles away it's not always possible.

Isn't it more that they won't take them because its far fairer and better for nature to leave them be?