Baby killdeer
Jun. 15th, 2006 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pacificpikachuSooo...today was mostly spent finishing up the chicken coop.
Well, and laughing at this: http://www.fanart-central.net/profile-Falconlobo.php
I know I shouldn't be laughing at this poor, strange child's artwork, but...I just can't help it. The more I look at it, the more I'm like "WTF? This kid needs psychiatric help..."
We did indeed finish the chicken coop, though there are little things here and there that need to be done. I moved the chickens into their new mini-mansion, and they seem to enjoy it quite a bit. They'd better--it was almost $1000 all in all. Yikes. :/
So, tonight at about 8:30 PM, right after I settled the chickens in the coop, someone at the hospital called about a bird they rescued. I was expecting it to be a baby swallow, because there are swallows everywhere around the hospital, but in truth it was a baby killdeer. We retrieved it from ER security guard, who had it in a little kleenex box. I was proud of myself for recognizing it immediately, because it's tiny and fuzzy and very very cute. I had brought along some chicken baby food (like, human baby food, not food for baby chickens) to feed it, but truth be told I was panicking a little because it wasn't gaping and I didn't know how to feed it. Also, it kept crying pitifully.
So, I got home with it and got it all situated, then went immediately to the internet for research. What I found out isn't very encouraging...
It turns out the hospital staff had "over-rescued" it, meaning they took it even though its mother was around waiting for it. They just assumed that killdeer have nests on the roof, when in fact they are born fuzzy and able to run around and have no specific nests. So, in other words, if they had left it, it would have been fine.
However, now that I have it (and all by itself, too, poor thing!), rehabbing them is tough. Supposedly, most of them die in the first twenty-four hours after they're rescued. There are a bunch of specific things that need to be done if it's going to live (and even then, it might not), like keeping them in isolation and it's going to need a mirror and other things.
In other words, I'm afraid I'm going to wake up to a dead bird, or at least a hopelessly distraught bird who won't eat. I'm hoping to find out where the little guy was found exactly and leave him there to see if mama bird comes back for him (which she very well might). If she does, that'll be an immense relief, but if not... I don't know what I'm going to do exactly. I'm very concerned. Oh well... If he dies, it'll just be a mistake I need to learn from (and hope it'll save the next killdeer that comes along), and I can't regret things I tried my best to save. I promise I won't be crushed or anything if he does die--these things happen all the time in rehab no matter how hard we try to prevent them. You just move on and do your best on the next bird who comes in.
I'm also concerned about the chickens in the new coop because I'm afraid an animal is going to try and get them. I'm not as worried about them, because the coop is made very sturdily and they're all perching up in their house like they're supposed to, but that's another thing that's nagging at me a little.
Well, I'll take things as they come.
Well, and laughing at this: http://www.fanart-central.net/profile-Falconlobo.php
I know I shouldn't be laughing at this poor, strange child's artwork, but...I just can't help it. The more I look at it, the more I'm like "WTF? This kid needs psychiatric help..."
We did indeed finish the chicken coop, though there are little things here and there that need to be done. I moved the chickens into their new mini-mansion, and they seem to enjoy it quite a bit. They'd better--it was almost $1000 all in all. Yikes. :/
So, tonight at about 8:30 PM, right after I settled the chickens in the coop, someone at the hospital called about a bird they rescued. I was expecting it to be a baby swallow, because there are swallows everywhere around the hospital, but in truth it was a baby killdeer. We retrieved it from ER security guard, who had it in a little kleenex box. I was proud of myself for recognizing it immediately, because it's tiny and fuzzy and very very cute. I had brought along some chicken baby food (like, human baby food, not food for baby chickens) to feed it, but truth be told I was panicking a little because it wasn't gaping and I didn't know how to feed it. Also, it kept crying pitifully.
So, I got home with it and got it all situated, then went immediately to the internet for research. What I found out isn't very encouraging...
It turns out the hospital staff had "over-rescued" it, meaning they took it even though its mother was around waiting for it. They just assumed that killdeer have nests on the roof, when in fact they are born fuzzy and able to run around and have no specific nests. So, in other words, if they had left it, it would have been fine.
However, now that I have it (and all by itself, too, poor thing!), rehabbing them is tough. Supposedly, most of them die in the first twenty-four hours after they're rescued. There are a bunch of specific things that need to be done if it's going to live (and even then, it might not), like keeping them in isolation and it's going to need a mirror and other things.
In other words, I'm afraid I'm going to wake up to a dead bird, or at least a hopelessly distraught bird who won't eat. I'm hoping to find out where the little guy was found exactly and leave him there to see if mama bird comes back for him (which she very well might). If she does, that'll be an immense relief, but if not... I don't know what I'm going to do exactly. I'm very concerned. Oh well... If he dies, it'll just be a mistake I need to learn from (and hope it'll save the next killdeer that comes along), and I can't regret things I tried my best to save. I promise I won't be crushed or anything if he does die--these things happen all the time in rehab no matter how hard we try to prevent them. You just move on and do your best on the next bird who comes in.
I'm also concerned about the chickens in the new coop because I'm afraid an animal is going to try and get them. I'm not as worried about them, because the coop is made very sturdily and they're all perching up in their house like they're supposed to, but that's another thing that's nagging at me a little.
Well, I'll take things as they come.
