Chaffinch chick found (1 Viewer)

[goska]

I have just found a partly fledged chick of a chaffinch on a pavement and I couldn't find its nest so I took it home and tried to feed it with white maggots but it doesn't open its beak. Is it a proper food for it?

 

[Fliblet]

Unfortunately, the best course of action may have been to leave it where it was. Newly-fledged chaffinches often spend some days on the ground after leaving the nest with the parents coming to feed them occasionally. They may often be left alone for several hours, but the parents do come back to them.

Now that you've taken it home, definitely don't feed it maggots (as they contain toxins which can be fatal to birds). Maybe mealworms would be a better option? Sadly, hand-rearing baby birds is extremely difficult and I think you may have to accept that this baby may well die :-( The best option may be to take it to a local wildlife place (RSPCA or equivalent) to let them handle it as they are likely to have a lot more experience in this.