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Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 11:23:22 AM   
LadyConstanze


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Status: offline 		So during an extensive dog walk the dogs alerted me to a wounded bird, it's a female blackbird and her left wing seems to be broken, I picked the bird up and wrapped it in my sweater and brought it home (didn't know what else to do, leaving it in the middle of nowhere on a field didn't seem like the best idea or would help it survive), called the emergency vet service and they told me basically they have zero experience with wildlife, then called the wildlife sanctuary (brought an abandoned nest of blackbirds there a few months ago - both parents killed by a stray cat and the freshly hatched birds screaming their heads off) and they said they are so understaffed and don't have the resources right now and chances for survival are slim anyway, they are also a 2 hour one way drive away.

So we got this wounded bird in the house, luckily we got a spare cage (the one the rat man uses when traveling to the vet), it's drinking and eating, so I assume it might not be too injured and very injured animals usually stop taking food and water. I'm planning to find a bird specialist tomorrow but until then, not sure what I can do? I defrosted some beef mince, mixed it up with broth, breadcrumbs and eggs and the bird seems to eat it (it's basically scoffing it like nuts), one of my mocca cups was sacrificed for water (I'll get a proper water spender tomorrow), I'm just trying to keep it as quiet as possible and put it into the office where the cats aren't allowed to go in (same office rat man resides in) and darkened the room, the bird seems to have no other injuries apart from the broken wing and I'm not a bird person. What else might it need? It doesn't even seem to be scared of me at all, which is surprising since it's a wild animal.

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 11:26:31 AM   
GreedyTop


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Status: offline 		seems like you've done all you can, or could be expected.

don't coddle it.

it IS a wild animal.

feed and water it, take it to a specialist that might be able to care for the wing.

otherwise, leave it be.

seriously...

unless you want to attempt to make a pet of it...

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 11:41:10 AM   
LadyConstanze


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Status: offline 		I don't think you can make a pet of a wild animal, it would be cruel, as I said as soon as the normal vet schedule is back on track on Monday, I'll be ringing them up and ask them who is a bird specialist, I mean canaries or budgies might also break wings. I just want it to heal but I don't have much experience with birds at all apart from a baby duck we found when I was a kid who also had a broken wing and a buzzard that fell out of the nest and we raised, but they are all a bit different to blackbirds, I googled for their food but I do feel a bit helpless what else I could do. I don't like seeing animals in pain.

I do hope the vet can set the wing, if they can't I guess I have to keep Ms Blackie because she wouldn't survive in the wild, but my preference would be to just be a bird hospital for her and then let her go again and reclaim her life.

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 11:42:17 AM   
UniqueRaven


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Status: offline 		Remember that wild birds can carry a number of parasites, both internal and external.

It sounds as if you're doing a great job - these birds do eat a lot of insects, so the meat is a good idea. If you're keeping it longer you may want to add more real insects to its diet, such as mealworms and grubs. Also make sure to offer grit of some sort, bird grit from a pet store is a good choice.

The odds of the wing being fixed, even by an expert are...not good. And given that it's a fairly common bird and not an endangered species, most wildlife welfare groups will not want to invest their resources. If you want, you could pay to take it to a vet and have them attempt to set the wing. Very good odds though that this bird will never fly again.

So your choices ultimately are...1) make it a pet (a large cage on a closed in patio could be lovely), 2) see if there's a shelter/refuge/small zoo nearby that will give it a good home or 3) release it back to the wild and let it take it's chances (you know the outcome of that).

But what you've done so far is much more than most would do. Good for your heart.

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 11:59:10 AM   
LadyConstanze


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Status: offline 		The parasites is why I'm keeping Ms Blackie away from Mr Slinky (the rat boy) and I keep the dogs out, despite them wanting to nurture, lick and care (they were basically whimpering and howling, that was what alerted me in the first place, it was sort of in a ditch on the field, I wouldn't have seen it myself), the cats I keep away for obvious reasons, they accept Mr Slinky as a family member and are happy to bully the dogs, but I wouldn't trust them with a new feathered addition to the family.

As for making it a pet, I don't want to, it's used to live in the wild and I don't think it would adapt well, I already decided that a vet is needed and will foot the bill, I don't know how old the injury is but I wouldn't imagine it is very old or it wouldn't have been alive when the dogs found her, if she can't fly again, it will be tough - with cats in the house (and as much as I love the bastards, I don't trust them - rat boy is possibly only safe because he's a rather substantial dumbo rat who's close to 2 kilos and the pet of the Dobies, who he grooms regularly and rides like ponies - or in his case tame dinosaurs) it's possibly not a good long term solution, I could talk to the wildlife rescue again (the one who didn't have the resources) and offer to pay for her keep and they have her in a really large cage, possibly with more of her kind or at least other birds. I'm quite hopeful that she might recover, when we found a wild male duck when I was a child, the wing was set and he lived happily in the garden (fishing in dad's pond - dad was not so happy about that) and once he was healed, he just took off and then came back on occasion to ask for food. So I guess there might be a chance for her.

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 12:00:54 PM   
UniqueRaven


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Status: offline 		Well good luck with it, and please let us know how it turns out. I'm sure the bird is saying thank you right now!

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 12:02:27 PM   
domiguy


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Status: offline 		it will die.

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 12:10:19 PM   
LadyConstanze


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quote:

ORIGINAL: domiguy

it will die.


So will you eventually, oh ray of sunshine, only the bird I would make me sad

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 12:10:27 PM   
Arpig


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Status: offline 		And so will you. 

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 12:19:01 PM   
LadyConstanze


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quote:

ORIGINAL: UniqueRaven

Well good luck with it, and please let us know how it turns out. I'm sure the bird is saying thank you right now!


Can't say I am particularly happy about it, but just leaving the bird there to die slowly or be killed just wasn't an option. I know nature is cruel and all that, but there's a difference if you run into a wounded animal and you can help or if it's abstract "nature", I'm actually forcing myself to not look into the room all the time and to fuss, as it would possibly only scare her. The odd thing is, I really don't feel any great affinity to birds but since I found her, I feel responsible and she's not just "a bird" anymore but the proverbial bird with the broken wing I have to care for. Mind you I'm amazed at the amount of food birds can eat, maybe this one is hollow?

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 1:35:34 PM   
flcouple2009


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quote:

ORIGINAL: domiguy
it will die.


Why yes, yes it will.

A bird with a broken wing is like a horse with a broken leg


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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 1:36:35 PM   
AlwaysLisa


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Joined: 10/6/2006
From: Washington State
Status: offline 		Our neighbor raised a blackbird (crow?) that was shot with a pellet gun and left to die.  He basically did what you have, kept it quiet, fed it a diet of raw hamburger, bread soaked in milk and left water for it in the cage.   The bird now hops around on his patio, can't fly, but he can manage to avoid cats by long, high jumps that take him to the top of the patio, and low tree branches.   He read that they (crows) are omnivorous and will eat anything, scavengers mostly, so he puts out scraps from the table in a small bowl and the bird seems quite healthy.  Good luck with your patient :)  

(Im not good with birds, so don't know if blackbirds are the same as crows)


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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 1:42:22 PM   
AlwaysLisa


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quote:

Why yes, yes it will.

A bird with a broken wing is like a horse with a broken leg


They have done remarkable things with horses, it's no longer a death sentence when a leg is broken.  

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/33663/broken-legs-arent-death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiRd8CTm6lo


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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 1:51:32 PM   
LadyConstanze


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Joined: 2/18/2005
Status: offline 		A blackbird is a singing bird, much smaller than a crow, I managed to get hold of a friend who's a vet, he said bird bones are less dense and heal a lot quicker and when attended to an amazing recovery chance, I could bandage it myself but the better option is a vet checking it out, setting it and bandaging it, so I go with that tomorrow morning.

It's not an endangered species or anything, just a wounded bird I found but that kinda makes it my responsibility, no difference to finding an injured dog or cat.

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 2:32:51 PM   
windchymes


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Status: offline 		I swear, you are the Mother Teresa of animals, LadyC :)

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 2:37:21 PM   
LadyConstanze


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quote:

ORIGINAL: windchymes

I swear, you are the Mother Teresa of animals, LadyC :)


Bahhh, I hope not, or I really need to go for botox It's just hard to leave an injured animal behind to die, which would have happened to Ms Blackie, who seems to have eaten her food again, that bird must be hollow!

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 2:38:30 PM   
DavidLee44UK


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quote:

ORIGINAL: windchymes

I swear, you are the Mother Teresa of animals, LadyC :)


but wind mother theresa put others first

i believe that all though its hash mother nature take its course

baby eagles in scotland learn how to pick up the wind currents by taking a chance some make it some dont

say lc mends its wing

what then itll need its mother family etc and because its different it wont be accepted

the blood finches of the galapagos got there name when there was nothing to drink one year except the blood of other birds

nature is cruel

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 2:44:00 PM   
Steven00140


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Status: offline 		http://www.foreign-britishbirds.info/page2.html

http://www.british-birds-in-aviculture.info/BB-Clubs.html

http://www.britishbirdcouncil.com/affiliated_societies.htm

None to sure if this will help at all, They are the sites of British Bird Keepers and Breeders. But as long as the bird is feeding and drinking, kept out of foul weather and in a quiet place, you cannot do any harm.

Regards

Steven

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 2:44:03 PM   
windchymes


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Status: offline 		Ah, she's probably made a living of faking a wing injury and being taken in and fed well!

I'm so glad you're at least trying, I would have done the same thing. I've seen animals out in nature who have sustained injuries and survived, many of them learn to adapt somehow. At least she's got a chance this way. And red-winged blackbirds make their nests on or near the ground in tall weeds, so they have some kind of ability to survive close to the ground. She might not need top-notch flying skills to survive.

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RE: Blackbird with broken wing - 8/7/2011 2:57:57 PM   
LadyConstanze


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Status: offline 		Yeah, maybe we should toss all those folks out who need help and let them fend for themselves, with the excuse that nature is cruel... I mean if they don't pick up the wind like the baby Eagles in Scotland, why should society care for them? I mean why should we care for "special needs" if they can't make it on their own and *GASP* need assisted living, can't function in society because they just scream they are being bullied? Maybe we just care for them because we are humans and despite those people lacking human feelings, we don't just toss them out to "fend for themselves" but care for them, no matter how annoying they are and how much the twist the truth?...

For the slightly dense, it's a mature female blackbird who doesn't need a mother, but you need 2 braincells to actually read the post and so I don't want to overtax you. Enjoy social benefits, despite the fact that nature is cruel, maybe not everybody is cruel and society at large is not and that's the reason why you have a home?

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