Author:
John Stephens
Date Of Creation:
23 January 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
A broken wing is a dangerous trauma to birds, especially those that depend on flying for survival. If you find a bird with injured wings, be it a wild or a domestic bird, make a quick assessment of the situation. Determine if the bird is resilient, and if so, cover it with a clean towel and place in a shoebox, keep the bird warm and protect it from reach. other animals or children in the house. Next, you need to contact your veterinarian and / or your local wildlife rescue center to find out what to do.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Exercise caution when handling birds
Wear gloves when handling birds. Birds can carry many dangerous pathogens, so it's important to protect yourself when trying to help an injured bird. Never lift wild birds with your bare hands, wear gloves and wash your hands immediately after touching them. You should also wear gloves even if the injured bird is a pet, when injured they can become aggressive and peck you out in pain and fear of attack.
- Ideally, use thick cloth gloves - like garden gloves. This type of glove is very effective in protecting you from the bird's beak, claw and other pathogens the bird can carry on you.
- If gloves are not available, you can use a towel to line and lift the bird.
- If the injured bird is a large bird of prey then it is best not to touch it. Instead, contact your local wildlife rescue center.
Avoid bringing the bird close to your face. Even small birds have very sharp beaks and claws. When dealing with an injured bird, you need to keep them away from your face to protect yourself, even as a pet bird, they can peck you in pain or panic.- Birds with broken wings are more sensitive and are more likely to attack you with their beaks or claws.
Do not feed or drink birds. Injured birds are often very frightened and will not eat or drink anything. You need to act quickly to help it, so you don't need to provide food or water while taking care of it only for a short period of time.- An injured bird can choke on water if you try to give it a drink, don't try to do so.
Part 2 of 3: Protecting injured birds
Wrap the bird in a towel. Injured birds, whether wild or domestic, will feel better wrapped and sheltered in a towel or similar object. This will help calm the bird, limit its movement and cause further injury on its own.- Try to protect the injured wing when wrapping the bird in a towel. Gently place the injured wing on the bird's body (do not bend the wing incorrectly) and cover the bird with a towel.
Place bird in shoebox. Put a towel on the bottom of the shoebox and place the bird on top to make it more comfortable. Use a can with a safety lid so the bird cannot escape and injures himself.
- For birds of a larger size you will need to find another larger box. Try a cat cage or large cardboard box.
- Make sure the birdhouse has ventilation holes so the bird can breathe.
Limit bird movement. You should not move a bird with a broken wing (or other injury) unless absolutely necessary, even if it is your pet. This will help limit other possible injuries.
- Use a towel to lift the bird, wrap the bird in a towel and place it in the shoebox. Then you should not move the bird unless it is urgent.
Provide a source of heat to heat the bird. When the bird is injured and weak it may need a source of heat to stay warm. Put a bottle of warm water in the bird's container to keep it warm.
- Place the water bottle in a position where the bird will move away if it feels too hot. Since the bird cannot move much when injured and wrapped in a towel, place the water bottle on the opposite end of the box and watch for signs of overheating.
- If the bird begins to gasp, remove the water bottle immediately. You will need to open the lid from time to time to check if the bird is panting.
Place the bird in a warm and safe place when trying to proceed. When you find a way to continue to help the bird, keep it in a warm place, away from danger, quiet, and not too bright to calm it.
- Keeping the bird away from children and other animals may attack or inadvertently injure it further.
Part 3 of 3: Get professional help
Evaluation of injury. Try to observe and determine how badly the bird is. If the bird appears lethargic, dizzy, or unconscious, it is likely in shock and, in addition to a broken wing, is more serious. If the bird stays awake - and even tries to run away from you, that's a good sign. Look to see if the bird has blood or any other wound to assess how serious it is.
- If the bird has a badly broken wing, it's hard to heal, and suffers from other injuries, a euthanasia may be better for it.
- You can take the bird to your vet or local wildlife rescue center to euthanize it if needed.
Contact your veterinarian or a bird specialist. If you are an injured house bird, you can contact your veterinarian for advice. If you don't know what to do with an injured wild bird, you can also call and see if your doctor can help. Some veterinary clinics offer free services (such as antibiotics and emergency surgery) to injured wildlife.
- It is possible that the vet will not be able to care for a wild bird until it recovers (unless you bear the costs), but they may be able to help or provide assistance.
Contact some local wildlife rescue organizations. If you find an injured wild bird you will need to contact wild bird rescue organizations for help. They can provide the bird with medical attention but cannot provide accommodation or rehabilitation. When you contact, ask them how they can be of assistance: one-time medical assistance, accommodation, rehabilitation treatment, or continuing medical care during recovery. You will need to contact several rescue centers to find a shelter for the bird.
- You may need to contact many places to find someone willing to help. Rescue centers often operate primarily on donations, so they may lack budget, equipment or medical space.
Bringing the bird to a rescue place does not apply euthanasia. If you have determined that the bird's wound is not life-threatening, you should learn about the rescue organization's policy of euthanasia. Ask specifically about this policy for birds with broken wings. Some organizations believe that birds with broken wings will not be able to live happily without their ability to fly, so they should be euthanized. Others think they can still live well after overcoming this trauma.
- You wouldn't want that after so much effort to help the bird die again at the rescue place you brought it to.
Be careful when moving birds to new locations. Whether it's bringing the bird to a veterinarian or an animal rescue center, you need to transport it safely. Make sure the lid of the bird's box is tightly closed so that the bird cannot escape during the trip and try to keep the box as stable as possible.
- Put the box in the passenger seat in the car if you drive, otherwise try to keep the box as far as possible.
