# 11 baby birds I'm rehabbing



## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Hi everyone,
In April, I got in 11 baby Starlings from my friend who was supose to rehab them but due to a death in her family called and asked if I could rehab them and still had to be hand fed and of course I said yes. They are also all different ages and never seen so many yellow beaks opening at once to be fed, (LOL). I survived the hand feeding stage with no problem and now they are eating on their own. The nicest thing is that all 11 made it and are doing well and soon will be going in a very large cage outside to teach them how to find food on their own. The youngest of them all which was very small had a really bad bruised belly because of a high fall and my friend didn't think it would make, so I checked the belly and said it's just badly bruised, no internal injuries, it will survive. It has now caught up in size with all other ones and the bruising is gone away. I did have two out of the group that were imprinted, so one went to my in Florida which I made the trip down their to give to my other friend who just lost her's in Feb. and the other went back to my other friend in NC. Well! I want to share some pictures of them with you and that's why I haven't been on much due to rehabbing and 911 Pigeon Alert.










This one back to my friend in NC









This one went to my other friend in Florida. This one was so funny because everytime I opened the to feed all the babies, this one charged at me with an open mouth and jump out of the cage on my hand or lap to be fed.









Here are the other ones and what they look like now


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Maryann, they are so adorable. You know I love starlings to pieces - all those little buttercup mouths and attitudes. You have done a great job and I know you enjoyed every minute of it.

You're at the stage now when they are the messiest.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

They are so cute and so much fun and SO MUCH WORK.
One time, I had 25 arrive, from the emergency vet hospital, all in one morning. I would finish feeding and it was time to start all over again. I felt like the little old lady that lived in a shoe.
You must have been feeling that way as well.
Good job, Mary Ann.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Mary Ann,

What adorable pictures!  Boy, you certainly have been busy being a full time mother to all those cuties. I would dare say you are now an expert in hand raising baby starlings, if you weren't before! 

I appreciate you sharing, the pics sure say it all.


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## naturegirl (Nov 7, 2005)

Wow Maryann they are cute, have 4 little ones myself at the moment. I just wish they weren't so loud. I had 13 others the other day as I was watching them for a rehabber friend I work with but she came and got them after watching them for a week, bless to heart as I c an hear again . My hardest part is getting them off baby bird food on to their life long diet. Good Luck with the babies they are really cute.

Cindy


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Great job on the darling starlings, Mary Ann!

Terry


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I wouldn't even know where to start with so many starlings, you have done a wonderful job.

Cynthia


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Wow, MaryAnn...that is what I call RAISING KIDS RIGHT!!

What a trememdous terrific job. They look GREAT! The one who was the most aggressive to be fed...isn't there always ONE in every bunch??? Personality Plus too, I bet!

BTW, do you use an artist's paint brush to feed the baby food? I am not very familiar with rehabbing Starlings or any birds for that matter, but I visited a well known local rehabber over the holiday weekend. I found a baby Grackle and was waaay out of my depth. Stayed a few hours to talk and watch her feed the MANY baby mouths she had...I thought her paint brush idea was quite fascinating. Those mouths were soooo big and she just brushed the food in...slick as a whistle. Fed a LOT of little ones in just a few minutes. She had collected a lot of brushes of varying sizes. She said she would wait for sales.

I'm sure this method is par for the course for rehabbers with "gapers," but I had never seen it before.

HUGS and SCRITCHES to ALL

Shi


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## Cricket (Sep 1, 2005)

OMG! how sweet are they??? I happen to have two right now... and a Grackle that had been cat caught... it died yesterday... The starlings are so darn fun! demanding little critters, huh? I'm curious what you are feeding them? I went to pick up a Red-Tailed Hawk with a broken wing last week and when I opened the box, a Starling peeked up at me! good thing though, because I had another Starling all by itself... so now they have eachother. Great job helping those babies out... Gotta love the Spring!


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Those are such darling babies. And so much work for you but fun too, I'm sure.
Great job Mary Ann.

Reti


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Mary Ann,
I thought about you and the Starlings off and on today and it made me smile each time. 
When I had that large group they would pop out of the cage like corn popping every time I went to feed them. As careful as I was several always got out and I would have to round them up. One time I only counted,
24. I counted again, 24. I searched the entire house several times and after an hour I started to panic. There was a wonderful animal psychic in our area and finally I called to she if she could tell me where the bird might have gone.
After a couple of seconds, she told me the bird was on the second floor and behind some old fabric.
Sure enough, there it was behind the antique drapes in the back bedroom.
Let me know if you need her number. With all those birdies you might need it.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Maryann,

You've sure had your hands full!

Glad that they all made it.

Linda


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

What a beautiful group of lil ones! Your hands must be full having to feed all those big yellow beakies  I had about 8 starlings fledging on my lawn this weekend, thank goodness there were no stragglers around and they all made it up into the trees after a few days. Great job raising your new flock


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## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Hi everyone,
Your welcome and thank you so much for kind words. I finally got a chance to get back to y'all. They are a lot of work, but I really enjoy it. They are all eating on their own, but how I miss all those yellow beaks screaming at me, (LOL). The youngest one has become quite the little stinker, he lets the other ones out of the cage now, so I had to put a lock on the door so he can't open it. What a job I have getting them back in to the cage being their not fond of humans, they tire me out, (LOL). It's funny, but I look forward to Spring, baby season to help out baby birds. 

Oh! I didn't tell y'all but I almost had 8 more starlings coming down with the 11, it would of been 19 starlings to hand feed. I know I wouldn't of been able to do anything else, (LOL). No soon than I got them fed, I would of had to start feeding them again with no break in between. 

Maggie, I know you love those little starlings. Did ever think about maybe having a pet one, (LOL)? They are beautiful little guys. Mess is not the word for these food flinger, I hate to say how much food I wear. I'm still picking it out of hair, (LOL). 

Cricket, I have them on Chicken Soup For the Cat Lover's Soul Adult Light, it's high in protien, low in fat and iron, and poultry mash unmedicated, along with hard boiled egg and applesauce that is offered to them as a side dish. When they are babies still taking food from you the egg and applesauce is put in their food and after they are all fed what ever is left in their dish I throw it away because the egg will spoil after an hour. If I don't put the poultry mash in with the cat food I have powdered calcium that I add to make sure they get the need calcuim. After I hard boil the egss I take and put them in a coffee grinder and make powder out of them. This is the closest to their diet in the wild. After they are eating on their own they are offered fruit like blueberries, grapes, etc. 

Shi, Yes! (LOL) you always do have one in the bunch. Believe it or not, even though they are being raise for release they all have their own personalities. I always use a straw that I cut at the bottom that's about the size and shape of parents beak. 

Charis, I'm so glad you found the little one and h/she was ok. I would been a nervous reack to if I had one missing. 

Pete, What a wonderful thing to see in your yard and I bet they had you laughing at some of the things they do. I enjoy watching the babies in my yard. Those babies will actually join flocks of other starling that were born this year.

Terry, I know what you mean when you say your tired by the end of the day. (LOL).

Cindy, I don't mind them being loud, I'm used to it with the ones who live with me.

Cynthia, I bet you could do this with no problem. You just go down the line as long as their not jumping on one another to be fed first, (LOL).

Treesa, If I had got the other 8 starlings I would of been and expert, (LOL).

Reti, It is a lot work, but so much fun. The nicest thing is to watch them grow up. 

Linda, Hands full is not the word for it. It's really great when they all make it. I hate losing a bird, but these guys thank god were all healthy.


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