# Wild greenfinch chicks please help!



## Nakeshamoon

Hi, just joined today in hope that somebody with avairy experience may be able to offer some advice 

One of my cats has a habit of bringing me animals that are still alive, if they are well and healthy other than shock i cannot just leave them. Sometimes i can release them just after a quick check but often they are babies.

Whilst i was bringing my washing in the other day my cat came out of some tress licking his lips, their was a greenfinch(male i think) flying from tree to tree obviously panicking. A little finch chick hobbled out and threw itself towards me, i took Archie inside(the cat) and left the chick hoping that its parents would maybe sort it out, (although looking at the size of the chick it is not that much smaller than its parent and with the nests being high i didnt see how the parent was going to get the chick back up in the nest.) I left him outside around 45 mins, when i went back outside he had fallen asleep in the same spot, parent nowhere to be heard or seen. It was going dark so the only choice seemed to pick him up and keep him inside overnight. I then let my dogs off, one of them dragged the carcass of one of the greenfinch adults out and then i felt something behind me and another chick was sat looking at me the dogs luckily hadnt seen it so i took her inside and put her in with her brother. 
I have raised abandoned chickens, geese but not small avairy type birds. Im guessing the main differences are that these types are totally dependant on their parents and their diets differ. I made up a mash with some chick crumbs i had, hemp protein powder, a green vitamin mix i had, sunflower seeds mashed and small amount of celery leaves mashed, i fed them 3 times last night, after they calmed down they started asking for food and as i didnt know the last time they where fed was, i figured they would know they needed feeding. Today they have been feeding every 30-45 mins, the female is not as lively as the male and is also eating much more, she opens her mouth fully for me to drop it in whilst the male prefers to perch on my hand and pull his food from the tweezers. He is not eating nearly as much but like i said is more lively than the female, although both are doing alot better compared to how they where early hours of this morning at points i thought the female was dead.
I know it is hard to tell female from male but im quite good at sexing when supposedly unsexable so im going with the genders for now lol.

The reason i am posting is i have no experience with raising avairy type birds, i have gone on instinct and a little info i found on the internet. By looking at them from an inexperienced point of view i would guess they are around 3-4 weeks old?(i have attached a photo) their second lot of feathers have come through ,very little down left. At the moment i am keeping them in a very small incubator lined with straw. I would hope that i could eventually re-release them but the age that they are i know that would be very difficult. How long do i roughly have before they will need a a bigger space? What size housing would you recommend? Could they live with chickens and/or a 3month old cockrel(obviously not locked in together at night, but in a run?) Can you let small birds out for the day and they come back at night? or do they not work like that haha. Is the diet i am feeding them on okay? I read that compared to other birds such as robins, blackbirds, starlings etc they hardly eat insects, so no need for worms?

Thankyou for reading.


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## JANICE199

*Hi there, i dont know if this will help but worth a look.Are you intending keeping these birds if they survive? if so i should point out i think you will find it is illegal to keep wild birds.*

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-254123


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## Nakeshamoon

JANICE199 said:


> *Hi there, i dont know if this will help but worth a look.Are you intending keeping these birds if they survive? if so i should point out i think you will find it is illegal to keep wild birds.*


Hello, thanks for the reply. did you link? because it is not showing if you did.
If they survive i was thinking about it IF they could not be re-released, i only thought it was illegal to keep wild birds if you had 'captured' them. Surely if they are injured or abandoned?? Would it count as 'keeping' them if i provided housing and food but they lived in the garden?


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## JANICE199

Nakeshamoon said:


> Hello, thanks for the reply. did you link? because it is not showing if you did.
> If they survive i was thinking about it IF they could not be re-released, i only thought it was illegal to keep wild birds if you had 'captured' them. Surely if they are injured or abandoned?? Would it count as 'keeping' them if i provided housing and food but they lived in the garden?


*Sorry i forgot to add the link but i did go back and add it.I'm 100% sure it would still be illegal to keep them.The link i added might help you more.*


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## Cleo38

I would get some expert advice. I don't where you are but igoogle wild life rescue centres or ask at your local vets if there are any experienced people that can help you out.


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## Nonnie

What area are you in?

They would be better off being reared and rehabilitated by wildlife experts so that they can then be returned to the wild ASAP.


Any Janice is 100% correct, it is illegal to keep them in captivity.


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## Cleo38

It is illegal to keep them. We hand reared a baby blue tit last year only as we couldn't get any help. We were successful but I think this was more luck than judgement. I did get alot of online help regarding this & it is possible to re-release but you need to do this gradually. 
I really can't give any advice as I am no expert but would urge you to speak to a resuce centre regarding this


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## Nonnie

This may help you slightly: Hand Rearing Garden Birds etc. (Small Passerines) (Techniques)

Especially with diet.

A wildlife rehab centre would give them the best chance of survival.


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## Nakeshamoon

JANICE199 said:


> *Sorry i forgot to add the link but i did go back and add it.I'm 100% sure it would still be illegal to keep them.The link i added might help you more.*


Thankyou. Sorry to alarm everybody, Honestly i have left chicks before when it is obvious that they are well equipped. But with me seeing the dead parent and leaving the chick out until sunset and it still not being taken back, i had to do something. I will contact a wildlife rehabillitation centre ASAP  My intentions for these birds are pure, i would not want to keep them in an avairy and any chance of them getting back into the wild i know is the best option for them. I am one to get angry when people think babies are abandoned in spring/summer and end up taking them from their parents, i assessed the situation as i have many times and if it had been morning time they would of been left out longer. 
I understand what the law is there for etc as some people do take advantage of this, even if not on purpose.


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## JANICE199

*Good luck and i hope all turns out well for them.*


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## Cleo38

Nakeshamoon said:


> Thankyou. Sorry to alarm everybody, Honestly i have left chicks before when it is obvious that they are well equipped. But with me seeing the dead parent and leaving the chick out until sunset and it still not being taken back, i had to do something. I will contact a wildlife rehabillitation centre ASAP  My intentions for these birds are pure, i would not want to keep them in an avairy and any chance of them getting back into the wild i know is the best option for them. I am one to get angry when people think babies are abandoned in spring/summer and end up taking them from their parents, i assessed the situation as i have many times and if it had been morning time they would of been left out longer.
> I understand what the law is there for etc as some people do take advantage of this, even if not on purpose.


I do understand what you mean; sometimes it is difficult to decide what to do for the best. I recently found a young magpie who appeared injured but I wasn't sure.
I went back & forth several times to check on him before deciding to take him home. Luckily I made the correct decision as he had a damaged wing. The receptionist at my local vets took him in after the vet treated him. When i spoke to her the other day she told me that he wa smaking good progress & had been moved to a large aviary. Hopefully he'll be released in a month or so. Good luck with your chicks!:thumbup:


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## Nakeshamoon

*Update*

Sadly one of the chicks passed away(the male) a couple of days after i posted this. His sister is alive and kicking though! we are onto one feed every 3 hours now give or take. she churps for me to come and feed her. I have been trying not to handle her very much although she is usually hesitant to perch on my hand whilst i feed her. she is put into a larger run in the day to practice flying and churps to the other birds. In a week or so i should have a large night time chicken run i am going to put small mesh on it and in the day time she will be in there. i will keep her in there until she is feeding herself and then i will eventually open it up but leave it available for her to come back for food etc. I have been reading lots on re-releasing and as there where no places near to me and knowing that some of her relatives and neighbours are still nesting in the same tree it would make much more logic sense to me to release her back with her own gang in the hope that they may take her back once she is feeding herself. Oh and she is not a greenfinch!! she is a siskin!


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