Blackbirds are insectivorous birds. The nests are equipped mainly in an old mixed or coniferous thinned forest with dense undergrowth near water and fields. Their "dwelling" is bowl-shaped, collected from stalks of grass, small branches, moss, fastened with saliva. It is located on a tree, and not high from the ground.
Both parents incubate masonry. Birds feed mainly on the ground, looking for insects in the forest litter. They are heated to plumage, too, together. Blackbirds bring several insects to the chicks on average 4 times per hour. Food is collected near the nest, at a distance of no more than 200 m.
You will have to forget about peace for some time if in some way (picked up, specially taken to grow a singing bird, someone threw it up), a thrush chick came to you. The photo shows the baby well. You need to immediately decide what you will do with it: leave it to live in the house or let it go. It should be noted that if the chick is very small (he has fluff on his head) and you pick it up, then the adult bird will be completely tame.
The main difficulty in growing a baby is to provide it with warmth. The thrush nestling should be kept in captivity at a temperature of about 40 ° C. To do this, you need to make a simple thermostat. You can use a plywood box, with the bottom preferably making a small wall, and the opposite will be a lid. In the lower part of the sidewall, the cartridge should be fixed and a light bulb screwed in. Fill it with sand 5 cm and install the nest. It can be built from rags or found natural. Cotton wool is unacceptable, since the thrush nestling in it gets entangled.
To be sure that overheating from the bulb does not occur, you will have to install an incandescent rheostat or thermometer on the surface of the sand. In the first embodiment, the bulb can not be turned off, and in the second it will be necessary to periodically look at the readings and turn off when heated to 41 ° C. An inactive fledgling thrush will not suffer overheating, as well as hypothermia, will die. Fledged birds do not need heating; they can live in a basket with a lid.
If the chick was taken from the nest, then the first feeding in the house should be in 5 hours, because he will need time to adapt. It is better to feed the babies found outside the natural housing immediately, because it is not known how long they starve. Relatively large cubs have to be forced to eat, voluntarily they do not open their mouths. Food needs to be pushed away into the throat, otherwise it will be spit out. Before forced feeding, you can resort to tricks - knock on the basket or move it. This will improvise the arrival of the mother, and, possibly, the thrush chick will open its mouth. Usually hungry, he makes sounds, demanding food. You must give it as soon as possible. Babies get used to people quickly; after the 3rd feeding, they themselves open their mouths wide.
The question arises of what to feed the thrush chick . Given that these birds are insectivorous, the answer suggests itself: flies, ognevki, zofobasy, etc.
You can use food for insectivores with a low content of iron and vitamin C, because they accumulate in the liver and adversely affect development. It is recommended to give him
egg white, boiled potatoes and corn, apples, melons, berries, banana, pear, yogurt. Raisins, grapes, kiwi, strawberries, citrus fruits, vegetables green in color, tomatoes, egg yolk, red meat, and liver are contraindicated.
The thrush chick is voracious, it is necessary to feed it every hour, in extreme cases - two. You can use tweezers with blunt ends. Before going to bed, it is advisable to place a basket of chicks near the bed in order to hear a squeak indicating the need for feeding. You have to get up, otherwise the baby will die of hunger.
In hot weather, chicks need to pour water from a pipette. In crushed eggshell, which is necessary for bones, you can roll pieces of food before feeding. Even the chicks need sand, without it, food stagnates in the stomach, and death can occur.
When the thrush nestling grows up, it needs to be taught to peck food on its own. Each time, food must be given from a lower position. Then they hold her, not putting in her mouth until he grabs. A little later, the food is placed in front of him, the nestling has no choice but to pick up, i.e. he will peck at her. It is good to give moving food - a fly with torn wings, a wriggling worm (but not rain, which is a source of helminths).
Hassle a lot. If there is any doubt that you can handle it, it is better not to take care of the chick. If they are not, success and patience!