Baby Magpie help please

[jusdeb]

Deb is lost for words

[desertbirds]

Dont take it personally, my immediate reaction is the same, bring it home, care for it ect. Theres just been a few cases recently where ive been really suprised about what type of ( Funky bird disease - your words Jusdeb) illness these orphaned youngsters can carry. First case was a Spiny Cheeked Honey Eater i picked up on the way back to work, i noticed it smelled quite bad, turns out it had some bad throat fungus weird a-s disease and it was put down straight away. The second case was a parrot thats still in isolation and could have made the initial "finder " quite ill. Not having a go at you Jusdeb but a serious illness or a disease carrying bird is not always obvious.Maybe im over reacting but for me , im not feeling too much guilt (especially with common species) just walking on by. It sounds cruel but loosing your birds or having a family member become ill isnt worth the risk. I applaud wild carers and those that try and maybe a forum vet should shoot me for saying it, but ive seen a few nasties recently here in Alice, very dry, very remote, where you wouldnt expect too many yuk diseases.
Young parrot is still screaming its butt off for affection but can only have limited contact until its shown to be cleared of the disease and not a carrier. Who would have thought - certainly not really experienced zoo staff or myself.
Just a reminder to be very careful and certainly not about having a go at anyone.

[mackstaa]

On the other hand I have had Maggies out of nests and abandoned, it happens and its up to you as to what you want to do with it.

When I was a kid I turned from dinosaur expert to birdman so I wound up with the Maggie, its not a big deal. Sure, dont rub him against your Blue gouldians

Give him a bit of grub, wean him and cut his wing feathers once or at least one side, keep feeding him and he will be good to go, he will even come back and say high in ur back yard if your lucky!

[Myzomela]

I think desertbirds makes a good point.

Having worked a lot with wildlife carers and their charges, it has become increasingly obvious that many chicks are rejected by their parents because there is something wrong with them, that the parents can detect but we cannot.

Sure, there are plenty of cases where chicks are orphaned by accidents/storms etc- but if you find the bird is not doing well just bear what I've said in mind.

In addition to the above feeding advice I would strongly recommend mixing the mince with Wombaroo Insectivore Mix as it provides a lot of the essentials missing in lean meats or even live food. It is a bit gritty and some birds don't like this. In these cases just place the insectivore mix inside the meatball.

Good luck- MUM!!

[naughtyneophema]

I have hand reared a Magpie before for 18 months, he was eating on his own had his own flight but the wild birds hated him and would attack the wire.
The thing with magpies is they rely on their family members for up to 3 years and need companionship constantly.
They become depressed very easily and will refused to eat and die.
If you are able to give them constant attention they will be fine.
I got a second job and he became very lonely and passed away unfortunately, it was very heartbreaking, I don't think I would raise another!
Once they have become accustomed to humans it is very hard to release them into the wild successfully, as they havn't had a chance to socialise in a Magpie school!
Saying that, my Pop 'bless his soul' had a Magpie for many years when I was a kid and it even Talked! and would take the pegs off the close line when my Nan was putting up the washing Good Memories!
I hope the little tike goes well!
Good Luck!

[naughtyneophema]

Oh I forgot to add that my Nan and Pop used to just feed the Magpie the cats biscuits and the off cuts from dinner ie, chicken and steak
So did I.

[SamDavis]

Good on ya Deb - give it a go I reckon.
They're really intelligent, so I'd say learning to survive back in the wild is likely less of an issue. My father once had a wild pair he fed regularly most mornings. They used to tap on the window if he was late and would come inside if he left the door open - they'd even bring the kids in with them. We've got a pair nesting somewhere nearby and they love corn kernels. Each morning as I chuck leftovers down the paddock they charge around picking up all the corn - they hold a good 20 or so kernels in their beak (looks like they've got yellow beaks).

[Fincho162]

Hate to be a splitter but I'd forget the mince and get a can of a good brand dog food like My Dog or Pal.
You can easily mix that with Passwells Insectivore mix to a good consistency and cram it it - they tend to become like pedal bins once they know what you're up to.
Every so often mix that with a bit of egg and of course your mutli vitamin powder and a little powdered calcium and you're away!! Even a small amount of wheat germ.

If u know someone breeding meeces........................better leave that there!!
Big moths go down well as do crickets!!!!

Bit messy with the dog food but my experience using mince is not good - and the better the grade of mince the worse it is as its too rich for their digestive systems......as a raptor guy once said to me "mince is only fit for humans!!!"..........I've done 3 magpies, 2 frogmouths, 3 plovers & Native hen using that recipe. Lost a nest of Butcherbirds using mince and have seen others scour plovers and magpies by using it.
Feel free to ignore !!!!!

Good luck!!!

[jusdeb]

I have a lot of respect for DB and he knows that . Ive taken what he has said on board and had a long discussion with my other half .

The bird does not appear ill , has no odour , is pooping nicely and eating well so we will do our best . If the bird was ill and beyond our capabilities then it would go to WIRES for vet assessment .

As is said I can not help how I am and frankly I dont want to be any different .

We appreciate so much the suggestions on how to care for him , your a great mob

We both do our WIRES training next month so hopefully out of this we will meet like minded bird lovers and change things a bit here in Dubbo.

[jusdeb]

Oh Fincho it was suggested to use dog food actually . Just happen to have some of that on hand too .