"I fed it milk and bread..."

Menu for babies	Humans are mammals and, as a rule, baby mammals thrive on milk, which provides all the fat and protein rapidly growing creatures need. Birds also need fat and protein, but they do not have the ability to metabolize mammalian milk. (This is why birds don't have breasts!) Birds get the nutrition they need from a variety of foods they find in nature, and the source of their nourishment sometimes changes over time, just as it does in our species. How the differing species are divided according to their individual feeding methods and requirements is of prime importance to the Orphan Care volunteers at Liberty.
Despite the fact that there are around 4,000 species of birds in the world, there are only two kinds of baby birds: altricial, and precocial. Altricial babies are those that hatch from their eggs in an almost helpless state. We've all seen them - naked, pink, huge unopened eyes, seemingly struggling to even move. This is the norm for the majority of species from sparrows and doves to hawks, owls and eagles. The parents are always close by to keep them warm, safe, and to provide	Feeding an altricial baby
food. These are again subdivided into two types: "gapers," the species that open their mouths and cheep loudly, displaying wide, yellow-edged targets for the parent to insert either pieces of whole food, or regurgitate a paste of pre-digested food; and "tubers," those that have long thin bills into which the parents insert their own beaks and inject food. Gapers are hand-fed by the OC volunteers usually using a tool (the cap from a pen, for example). The tool is tapped against the side of the small mouth which usually produces a "gape" as the baby opens its beak wide and takes the food off of the pocket clip of the pen cap. The food is a slurry of specially formulated commercial crumble and water, designed to provide the proper amount of protein, minerals, and hydration required by the baby, depending on whether it is a seed-eater or an insect-eater (insectivores require more protein, naturally.) Interestingly, some babies begin life eating insects, and after they mature, they become herbivores as their dietary requirements change. Tubing birds, such as pigeons and doves, are fed by carefully inserting a length of surgical tubing into their crops (pre-digestive organs in their chests) and literally pumping the formula in with a syringe.
Precocial ducklings	The precocial species are those that emerge from the egg looking quite like smaller versions of adults with tiny feathers, able to walk, run, swim sometimes, and more importantly, feed themselves from day one. But since they won't be able to fly for quite some time, they are still not independent. What they get from their parents are proper species imprinting, protection from predators, and some temperature control since their hairy little feathers don't provide complete
thermal regulation for some time. These include most waterfowl and waders. The two types of native precocials that the Liberty OC volunteers care for are killdeer and quail. Since they are free-feeders from the start, their food is placed in small dishes in a precisely temperature-controlled brooder. Again, the formulation of the food is species-specific and will sometimes be modified as the babies mature. The feeding begins at first light and continues unabated throughout the day until sundown, mimicking the feeding patterns of the adult parents. The volunteers work in shifts, not unlike the people who paint the Golden Gate Bridge, starting at one end and continuing to the other side, only to start all over again until their shift is finished and a new crew takes over. Records of timing, food offered and food consumed are meticulously kept and reviewed to make sure everyone is fed and continues to gain weight and strength. The action is non-stop, essential, and heartwarming! Carnivorous babies like hawks, owls, falcons, and roadrunners require even more specialized treatment. Not only what they are fed, but how they are fed makes a difference. These species require whole food (not hamburgers, hotdogs, and chicken legs!). And more to the point, even when they are fed a perfect menu of mice and other rodents, if they are hand-fed by a human who does not disguise his or her appearance as a human, it is very likely that the baby will imprint improperly on humans and become non-releasable. It is very sad to take in a natural hunter like a kestrel or an owl who is totally healthy in a physical sense, but can never be freed to the wild because it has no idea what it is and how to survive and replicate on its own. Raising a baby raptor is an extremely labor-intensive activity. The commitment by those rehabbers engaged in this endeavor is staggering! Hopefully, this will instruct some caring individuals not in the art of baby bird raising, but in the absolute necessity of getting any baby birds they have found to an appropriate facility like Liberty Wildlife for proper care. DON'T use eye-droppers, DON'T feed milk and bread to birds, and DON'T think you can successfully raise a baby raptor. As they say on the reality shows, "We are professionals. Don't try this at home!" Call Liberty Wildlife and give these birds a real chance to survive.