30th October ‘09: Another two Magpies, and Feeding Magpies
Received two Australian Magpies into my care yesterday; one I was expecting, and had been with a family for six days already. The other had been picked up off the road that morning. The latter is just a chick, only just starting to call out for its food and barely moving around. The other is older, but isn’t yet eating by itself and only just starting to peck at things. So at the moment I am still giving them the mix.
I tend to give Australian Magpies some Weet- Bix, occasionally some grated cheese, boiled egg, dog meat (VIP Puppy Meatloaf or if I have them for short term those small dishes of Tender Chicken dog food), Wombaroo Insectivore Rearing Mix, and then I mix it all with some water (the food should be warm for the very young).
Different carers may do it differently, or use a slightly different recipe (some use chicken frames or chicken carcass from their local butcher (the pet one that includes the bone). I haven’t included quantity either, as I tend to improvise depending on how many birds I have in my care. Some carers chop the meat up into small squares and sprinkle the Insectivore over top, and then keep that in the fridge ready for a while (it goes quickly if they have a lot of birds). Young birds are usually fed every two to three hours. Ravens tend to eat the same sort of thing, as do Murray Magpies (though apple sauce may be added)
There are also different ways of feeding them. Some use spoons (bent to imitate a mother’s beak), some use small tweezers, some use syringes (without the needle part, just the plastic, and must be done carefully), and others use their fingers (I usually do it this way). How to feed usually depends on the bird, its age and the situation.
For more information on rescuing and feeding birds and other animals, please visit
http://www.faunarescue.org.au/ and http://www.communitywebs.org/MintonFarmAnimalRescueCentre/default.htm
The three Pacific Black Ducklings are still here. Yesterday we had them in a cage with a small dish of water at one end. All three ducklings could fit into the dish and sat together in the water, preening. I’m quite happy to look after them until they are ready to go, but I do wish they’d be a bit quieter at night. They woke me a couple of times last night.
As it was quite a warm night, we left their light off. However, they still seemed to want to move around, even in the dark (they quite often sleep for a while, and then have something to eat and drink before going back to sleep again). Like any others, these guys don’t like being separated and I think, judging by the commotion, one or two of them kept getting separated from the others in the dark. The first time I could hear peeping and what sounded like the ducklings running around their box, I got out of bed and decided to check on them. Switching on the kitchen light (and silently apologizing to our three pet Cockatiels in case I woke them), I looked in on the ducklings. As I had thought; two were cuddled together in one corner of the box, while the third was sitting in their little shelter (a tissue box, I change them every couple of days). Realizing there was light, the ducklings gathered to together; before they could split up again, I switched off the light and went back to bed. Unfortunately, I woke again later to hear the ducklings cheeping. My sister was in the kitchen this time though, so I ignored them and tried getting back to sleep.
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