Can a bird live if it doesn't have any feathers?

Hey Mis

Rock just told me he had seen this thread.

Errrrrrr... not sure what to do really. The bird is prolly in shock right now which is why it isn't flying - you know like when they fly into a window and knock themselves out. Keep an eye on him for a bit. If he falls down then, me, I would pick him up and put him in a box for a couple hours, close it so it's dark and quiet and see how he responds. Put a little water in the box. If he flaps around, then open the box somewhere safe and turn it on it's side so he can get hop out.

Mis - if the boid can't fly, nature will takes it's course. If he stays in the box and looks a little folorn - maybe check back to SheW thread about her little blue jay.

I don't know how quickly or if big feathers regrow- I'm sure they can survive without some of their feathers, especially the top part of its back and if the wings aren't broken he may just fly off. If you do bring him down it may be better to keep him safe for a few hours til the bleeding stops and he's less vulnerable.

Do you have an animal shelter you can make a phone call to, or the vet - and ask their advice? Back home we take any wild animals down to the vet and once they are ready to go back in the wild they vet releases them.

I reckon if the wee fella is in the tree and is sitting there, best leave him there for a bit and see whether or not he tries to fly. You may be surprised and he make take off. If he drops down, try the box thing. They calm down in the dark and quiet and re-orientate themselves (had a rookery - know the feeling - it's sad when they are struggling).

Maybe PM the lovely Mr Patiodog in case he checks in this morning - he'll know what to do and always give sound advice.

Hey Iz - thanks...I know there is not a whole lot we can do. I called the wildlife reserve nearby - and they said they would be doing the same thing. I can bring him to them if I want to - and I probably will if he is still there. He is actually no longer where he was. He is down on the ground in the ivy now. Seems quite content. Flaps a little when I come near to peek. But I am pretty sure that he cannot fly - which is why I will probably carry him on over to the wildlife reserve this afternoon. He can't stay around here...we have too many animals - cats and dogs everywhere - and little boys that can't leave it alone. I have banished them from the back yard right now.

Thanks sweety.

My Siberian huskies have grabbed birds at various times and dropped them when I asked them to; the birds were taken to assorted veterinary hospitals over the years, all of them lived, and their feathers grew back very fast.

Usual measures against shock apply to them also: keep warm (birds have higher body temperatures than we do, so that means really warm) in cosy clean place, with water and food within reach, provide moral support by talking to them; plus, of course, whatever the animal experts you called advised you to do. Good luck.

Thanks High Seas. We tried. He didn't make it. S (my little boy) cried. I feel yucky.

Sorry. You tried.

True story. When I got off the school bus one day and walked into the house, my mom said that there was a thrush sitting on the railing of the window-well outside the kitchen window. I was 12. The bird had been there for quite a while, putting out calls that mom interpreted as being distress calls.
The window-well, perhaps 4 feet deep, allowed light to get to the basement on that side of the house. I crawled in. At the bottom was a 4" diameter hole with perhaps another foot of depth that led to drain pipes to carry rain-water away.
Way down there was a baby thrush.
My mom and I pondered. The mail-man pondered. Professor G, from next door, wandered over, wondering why the mail truck was parked so close to his house but he hadn't yet got his mail. And he pondered about this crisis.
The mother thrush watched from a nearby tree. Crying, if birds cry. tears.
Col C came over from the house on the other side. He was in WW2 and suffered from what was then called "shell shock." It has a much more clinical name now. He pulled out a handkerchief and we attached thread to the 4 corners with staples. I lowered it down through the hole in the window-well, flattened it out a bit with a stick and, lo and behold, the baby bird walked into the middle of it! Up it came!
Its mom was happy. Did it survive? No telling, but we - like you - did our best.

oh Mis, I'm sorry - you did your best hunni - 'tis a cr*ppy feeling tho, I know. Give S-boy a hug from me. x

Very sorry to hear sad news, Mismi. You tried your absolute best - and btw, if that helps, I've found that having a proper little funeral for a small animal (wrap it in tissue paper, say a little prayer - "all creatures great and small" - or whatever simple thing like "rest in peace little bird") before burying or handing it over for cremation) does help young children to understand there is an end to life and all such temporal things and to the extent we control the process it might as well be done with dignity. It helps us, too; many thoughts and good wishes are with you and your family.