There is probably no person in the world who has never heard of migratory bird called "swift", or black swift. This black bird got its name for its flight characteristics: it seems to cut clouds with its black tail, reminiscent of scissors. This beautiful bird resembles a swallow. In winter, this wonderful bird, like the swallow from Andersen’s fairy tale “Thumbelina,” flies away to warmer climes, and in the spring it returns again and brings warm weather on its wings.

The swift, or black swift, is one of the fastest birds. She has unique wings that allow her to develop enormous speed and stay perfectly in the sky in any weather. No one has such wings, only the black swift.

Swift birds: features of life

Black swifts live in small flocks. In winter, when the birds become cold and have nothing to eat, they fly away for the winter to warm regions, to the south or to Asia. In early spring, the birds return from wintering and the female begins to lay eggs. The chicks very quickly get used to independent life, master the art of flight and learn to get their own food.

This bird loves to settle in small secluded corners, preferring hard-to-reach places. Perhaps this is due to the fact that in this way the bird is trying to protect itself from predators that like to eat bird eggs, as well as from people destroying bird nests. It should be noted that in the nineteenth century it was on the verge of extinction. Europeans believed that poultry meat had high taste and high nutritional value, and they destroyed nests en masse in order to eat or sell poultry meat.

Usually the black swift likes to settle in such places, How:

• Deep hollows of oak or other mighty and large trees;
• Minks on steep, steep river banks;
• Crevices in rocks;
• In cities or towns, birds often live under the roofs or in the cracks of wooden houses.

Characteristics of swift birds

In big cities Swifts do not allow humans to come close to them, but they willingly fly up to the feeders and, without hesitation, take food. Those who want to set up a feeder for these birds (in summer time, because in winter they fly away), they must know well what they eat, and also understand that not all the food that is traditionally considered bird food is good for them. For example, it is strictly not recommended to feed birds roasted seeds or salted nuts, because this can adversely affect the health of the birds.

In cities or towns, it often happens that swifts have to build nests in the most inconvenient places. In this regard, small swifts often fall out of the nest. Attention: if the chick falls out of the nest, you need to either take it home to nurse it or not pick it up at all. If you pick up the baby and then leave it on the ground or put it back in the nest, the mother may not recognize her chick because it will smell like a person. The unfamiliar smell will scare away the bird, and it will stop feeding its chick. If you have no intention of caring for the bird at home, it is advisable not to pick it up at all, so as not to irritate its mother, because birds are very worried when their children are in danger.

What do swifts eat?

The black swift by its nature is insectivorous bird. Swifts in low-level flight rush into the air at great speed and catch everything that moves. Most of all, swifts love the following types of animal food. If we talk about what swifts eat, then this is:

• Small bugs;
• Butterflies;
• Caterpillars and worms;
• Cockroaches;
• Crickets.

When the mother feeds her chicks, she catches insects, crushes them in her beak and turns them into small soft lumps. She uses these lumps to feed her chicks.

The black swift is not initially popular poultry However, swift chicks often end up in captivity. They get to a person when they fall out of the nest. In many cities there are special rehabilitation centers for young shears who have fallen out of the nest, where the chicks are nursed and gradually accustomed to wildlife and then, as they grow older, they are released into the wild. Feeding insectivorous birds in captivity seems to be quite problematic. Nevertheless, it is possible to feed chicks in captivity. The main thing is to design the chick’s diet in such a way that most of the diet consists of protein foods of animal origin.

List of the most suitable food for black swift chicks living in captivity:

When preparing a diet for a baby, you must remember that chicks should never be overfed. They should be fed little and often, just as they eat in nature. Food must be fresh to avoid infections and gastrointestinal disorders. If the bird has not eaten enough food, the remaining food can no longer be used for the next feeding.

Raising a swift in captivity, you need to pay attention to the presence of plant foods in his diet. Thus, chicks willingly eat carrots grated on a fine grater. It is worth periodically adding vitamin and mineral supplements to the food in order to fully satisfy the growing baby’s need for important vitamins, minerals and others. nutrients. For all questions regarding feeding chicks living in captivity, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian.

It is advisable to feed the chick at the same time so that the baby improves digestion and develops a reflex to eat at a certain hour. The chick's diet should contain products of both animal and plant origin every day. Adult swifts are rarely kept in captivity, but the principle of feeding adult birds is approximately the same as the principle of feeding babies: feeding at the same time, often and little by little, a balanced combination of plant and animal food.

Where does the black swift bird winter?

Since the black swift is an exclusively insectivorous bird, in winter, when snow falls in Russia, it becomes difficult for the birds to get food for themselves: beetles, worms, caterpillars. In this regard, in late autumn, as soon as it begins to get significantly colder, birds go to warmer regions for the winter, where there is no snow and you can easily get food for yourself.

The most common wintering places for black swifts living in the Russian climate of the Central zone:

• Equator;
• South Africa;
• Southeast Asia (Thailand);
• Indochina;
• Islands of Indonesia;
• Australia.

Swifts leave for the winter in small flocks. During migration, the birds stay crowded together, trying not to move away from each other. They spend about four to five months in warm regions: as long as cold weather reigns in Russia and there is snow. As a rule, birds go for the winter at the end of October (the specific date is different each time and depends on weather conditions), and return when the snow begins to actively melt in Russia. As a rule, this is the first - second ten days of April. Having arrived from wintering grounds, the birds immediately begin to break up into pairs, create families and build nests. Males fight for females, court them and defend their territory, while females lay eggs and wait for their chicks to hatch.

Swifts can often be found both in the city and in the countryside. These birds willingly build their nests near human dwellings, but at the same time do not allow humans to get close to them. The swift is a real “sanitary” of the forest and field, ridding plants of insect pests. Therefore, under no circumstances should you destroy swifts or destroy their nests! Otherwise, the number of harmful insects will increase sharply, and plants in the forest and field, in the garden and in the vegetable garden may be in serious danger.

The black swift is a truly unique bird. It has a beautiful black and white color scheme, high speed movement and extraordinary agility. You can easily meet a swift in the most unexpected places. The main thing is not to frighten this wonderful bird and not to destroy the nests, and you can also feed these nice birds with their favorite food - worms and other insects. Swifts are of particular benefit in the garden and vegetable garden, destroying dangerous pests.

It often happens that chicks fall out of their nests. Some survive, and some injure themselves as a result of the fall. What to do if you find a swift chick? What to feed this extremely picky bird at home? First of all, if you suddenly find a chick, you should determine who is in front of you, that is, a swift or a swallow. Swallows have three toes on their feet pointing forward and one toe pointing back. For black swifts, everything is different: they have four toes pointed forward, like a foot. Well, adults are easy to identify: the swallow has a white shirtfront on its chest.

And so, you are convinced that what you have in your hands is not a sparrow, not a killer whale, or even a wagtail, but a real black swift or Apus apus. And what to feed the foundling? In EU countries there are special shelters for wild birds and wild animals, where they are looked after by specialists and nursed if necessary. In our country, everything is different - all hope is in the patience and mercy of ordinary people. And even then, this is not enough, because you still need to know what to feed the foundling, since the wrong food can lead to trouble.

What do young chicks eat and how often? Parents feed their chicks approximately sixty times a day, but a foundling can get by with one dose of food per hour. The diet consists of insects crushed in the beak of the parents and compressed into a ball using their saliva. Birds shove this food deep into their chicks' throats. What to do to an ordinary person who found the swift chick? If you see that the chick is weak, then it needs to be given water. To do this, prepare an insulin syringe with a removable needle. You take about two or three cubes of boiled warm water, wrap the chick in a napkin and take it with your left hand. With your right hand, gently open the beak and introduce liquid drop by drop onto the tongue. A weakened haircut needs to be provided with heating and this can be done with a heating pad or a lamp. Now let's move on to the main question: What and how to feed the shorthair? At first, you can give the chick meat baby food. Roll into a ball and place it on the base of the tongue. But such a diet should not be constant, only for about two days, no more. Do not forget that these birds are insectivores. Bread, eggs and food for dogs, parrots and cats are contraindicated. Only flies, crickets, drones, wax moths and ant eggs. All this is sold in pet stores. And if you contact your local beekeepers association, they will help you get drones. You can buy fly larvae at a fisherman's store. Place half of the larvae in a warm place so that the adult insects hatch. If you follow our recommendations, you will grow an excellent swift.

From: Evgeniy Tel.: +79145 Message: Hello! Question about swifts. They say that swifts can be fed at home (injured, fallen chicks) only with insects. But the sparrow is also an insectivorous bird, but it can also eat grain - millet, wheat. Is it possible to feed a swift at home with grain? Will he or his plumage suffer from this? Can I give him milk?

Good afternoon The sparrow is a granivorous bird in the summer season, which also switches to feeding its chicks with insects. This is a common practice among our granivorous birds. At the same time, the swift is a highly specialized species in this regard and therefore it feeds exclusively on insects. Well, draw your own conclusions!

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

swift's foot

It's hard to find insects for swifts

Thanks for the answer!

I understand that in nature the swift feeds only on insects.

But at home it is very difficult to find such insects.

Where does the conclusion come from that only insects can eat swifts?

Milk contains animal fats.

Why can't you give milk to a swift?

Boil the grain in milk and give it to him?

Why is this dangerous, on what basis is there such a restriction that only insects?

Evgeny Epishkin.

Mixtures for insectivorous birds suitable for swifts

There are mixtures for insectivorous birds consisting of cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs + boiled minced meat + dry hamarus or daphnia. Also add a few drops of joyn to the mixture. And with this mixture, many swifts manage to return to the wild in the future. Those swifts that are “stuck” and cannot fly away can also be given cat whiskey in pads preserved in jelly in bags - they are everywhere shopping centers available. They also give me a little mealworm. On such a diet they live quite a long time - several years in captivity. So there are many possibilities. As for the care and feeding of an unusual diet for any bird, this is fraught with their death (although there are a lot of examples in this regard - for example, birds of prey, which some manage to feed with buns and sausage for a year or even two), but still, in the end, in addition to a significant defect in the plumage, they lose their own bird life too!

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

We have no food for swifts in our city.

From: Daria

Message:

Hello! Yesterday I picked up a black swift (apparently an adult) on the street. He was sitting on the asphalt. First I tried to lift him into the air so that he would fly (the first time I planted him on a tree, but he fell; the second time I tried by hand, but also unsuccessfully). We brought him home, put him in a box, and covered it with fabric to make him more or less comfortable. We feed him every 1.5 hours (except at night from 9 to 8 am) chopped chicken yolk with white + low-fat cottage cheese + 3 pieces of gammarus (I read once a week that you can give it) + flies, mosquitoes (i.e., whatever we catch) little by little. Let's drink boiled water with a drop of honey.

Unfortunately, there is no other food for swifts in our city (they don’t sell crickets or cockroaches in the faunas).

He spreads his wings, but cannot fly (he immediately falls to the ground). Today we took him outside again to try to let him go, but everything was unsuccessful, he immediately falls, although he works with his wings (((His wings are intact.

I would like to ask, is it possible to feed this set of products, in what portions and how many times a day? Why doesn't he fly and how can I help him?

And do you have a shelter for such birds, if we suddenly find ourselves in Moscow?

We live in the Vladimir region, Murom

Ant egg for swift

Good afternoon

Yes you can! FEED! Try another ant egg! You can weigh the bird on a scale and send the weight data.

Hello! Bird weight 32 g

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

From: Sergey

Message:

In June, we picked up a swift with a broken wing (fracture of the radius). The bird was in a small box

(to limit movements) for a month. The X-ray results showed that the wing had fused correctly and

the swift can fly. But during this time, problems arose with the paws (see file. 0030) On the recommendation of an ornithologist

started treatment a week ago:

1 Tsifalexin Susp. 125 ml/5 ml - 0.1 drug (suspension) +0.9 ml water = 0.1 ml mixture, 2 times a day, orally for 7 days

2 Prednisolone 30 ml/1 ml - 0.1 ml of the drug + 0.5 ml of water = 0.05 ml of the mixture 1 time per day, orally for 5 days

3 Hyoxysone ointment - treatment of paws, 3-4 times a day, 2 weeks

4 Baths with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate in water 37-40%, 10-20 minutes. 1 time per day. 10 days

The results to date are as follows (see file. 0056)

Please tell me what can be done, how to help the bird?

Treatment for swifts

Good afternoon You need to completely refuse the prescribed treatment. Now it is necessary to switch to treatment with dermatophytol ointment and carry out corrective treatment of the swift. You can come to our bird hospital.

Swifts are birds with long wings that protrude beyond the tail when folded. In size, these birds are similar to a sparrow. The shape of its head resembles a bird of prey, but its menu includes only insects. Sometimes these birds are confused with swallows. Yes, the external similarity between these bird species is great.

However, swallows, unlike swifts, have a white breast. Another difference between these birds is the location of the toes on the paws. In the swallow, three of them are directed forward, and one is directed backward. But nature has given the swift the opportunity, like a climber, to climb tree trunks and the walls of buildings. He has all four fingers pointing forward.

Swifts are birds with brownish-black plumage, reflecting a barely noticeable greenish tint. By autumn this color becomes paler. It fades from the bright summer sun. But the swift’s paws and beak are always black.

Geography of distribution

Swifts can be found throughout Europe with the exception of tundra zones. These birds also flew beyond the Urals, populating territories as far as Transbaikalia. Small black birds also live in North-West Africa. You can meet them in Syria and Palestine, as well as in the Himalayas.

Swifts winter in Africa. During this period, they occupy all of its southern territories, starting from the equator, reaching the island of Madagascar.

Today, the swift is considered a city bird. However, some of its nesting sites are also found in rural areas. In villages, birds choose stone buildings for their settlements. They can be cowsheds and churches, as well as grain warehouses.

But in Transbaikalia, the black swift can only be found in forest areas. Its brother nests in cities. This is another species of swift called the white-banded swift.

Arrival after wintering

Scientists have discovered many interesting environmental features swifts. One of them is that after wintering, these birds arrive quite late. However, their appearance guarantees the onset of stable heat.

Swifts fly to their native nests within a certain period, lasting from 18 to 27 days. Moreover, these birds do not create a large school. They appear in small groups. Arrival times vary by one or two days.

Nesting

Swifts begin building their home 2-3 days after arrival. The cozy nest becomes fully habitable just eight days after the start of work. The female lays 2-3 eggs in it, which are incubated by both parents. After 11-16 days, the swifts have offspring.

When there is insufficient food, birds sometimes get rid of their eggs. This can be called a kind of survival instinct during a hungry period.

Natural nutrition

Food for swifts in nature is exclusively aerial plankton, consisting of insects flying in the air and small and medium-sized spiders raised by the wind. The feeding process of these birds occurs in flight, at an altitude of 50 to 100 meters. In case of unfavorable weather conditions Swifts descend closer to the ground. However, it also happens that air masses carry insects far upward. In such cases, swifts are able to rise to a height equal to a kilometer from the surface of the earth.

The bird menu is very selective. As a rule, they catch and eat only those insects that they can swallow. That is why their prey is small in size. In addition, swifts do not eat stinging insects. However, they do not distinguish them by their bright warning coloring, which significantly expands the swift’s diet. For example, as food he can choose a hoverfly, which looks very similar to a bee.

During the hunt, the swift collects the insects it catches in the back of the throat, where a special food pouch (crop) is located. There, flies and other living creatures are bound together into a ball (bolus) using saliva. The swift either periodically eats the food prepared in this way or takes it to its nest. The food pellets he collects can contain thousands of insects.

When the weather turns bad, swifts rush to the water. Here it is easier for them to catch prey. It has been established that birds tend to avoid not only bad weather, but also places where there is low pressure. Looking for more favorable conditions birds fly around the area of ​​rain in the same direction as the wind. Moreover, during the day, swifts are able to move considerable distances (up to 800 km). The birds wash down their food with drops of rain. They can also obtain liquid in low flight, sliding their black beak along the water surface.

Help for birds

It happens that a bird that has received any damage ends up right under a person’s feet. Anyone who decides to help her and take the little warm lump home must, first of all, determine whether the bird is an adult or not. Swift chicks are distinguished by a white edging located on the large flight feathers, as well as white specks on the head and the presence of tubes from which the feathers open.

After this, the person should examine the bird for any deviations from the norm and external disturbances. To do this, all parts of the body are carefully studied. If the wing or leg of a swift is dangling, then the bird should be taken to a specialist, since this condition indicates the presence of a fracture.

In the absence of external damage, lethargic and weakened birds must be checked for the presence of infectious diseases. In this case, you will need to be tested for psittacosis, bird flu, helminths and protozoa.

Sedentary swifts must be warmed up. For this, incandescent lamps with a power of 40 or 60 W are suitable, as well as bottles and hot water bottles.

A person should also check whether the swift they find has a swallowing reflex. What to feed this bird at home? Her diet does not have to be varied. In the process of nursing and feeding a swift, you need to remember what the bird eats in natural conditions and not deviate from its natural diet.

Swifts brought home should never be placed in bird cages. In them they will panic and fight, which will damage the plumage, without which it is impossible to fly. It is best to keep the swift in a plastic, half-open box. For a chick, the dimensions 30x20x15 cm (length, width, height) are quite suitable. A small “nest” made of cork or wood is also placed here. If these materials are not available, then a small glass vase wrapped in fabric to create warmth will do.

It is important that the box is clean. The swiftlets will be exercising their wings and therefore should not be exposed to droppings. Place absorbent paper towels in the bottom of the box and change them every day.

Feeding on insects

What to feed a swift in captivity so as not to harm it? House and banana crickets are perfect for this. You can purchase these insects at pet stores for a small fee. However, they are not the only ones your swift can consume. What to feed your new pet at home? Its menu is varied with Turkmen and marbled cockroaches. These insects contain a large amount of useful substances. If you don’t know what to feed the swift chick, then buy these cockroaches for it. They will not only be perfectly absorbed by the young individual, but will also have a positive effect on the quality of its plumage.

For the health of swifts, it is useful to feed them ant pupae. This bird food contains a wide variety of vitamins. Where can I get ant pupae? They can be found in the garden or in the forest. The swift will eat this delicacy with pleasure.

What else can you feed this bird at home? Flies and mosquitoes will be a good help for her.

Often people caring for a feathered pet ask the question: “Can I feed a swift with bloodworms?” Yes, inclusion of these insects in the menu is allowed. However, it is worth remembering that the bloodworms should only be fresh.

The question also often arises about whether it is possible to feed a swift with maggots. Yes, they come as an addition to the main diet. Only maggots should be washed and finely chopped. It is worth remembering that this food is fatty and creates unnecessary stress on the bird’s liver. That is why maggots can be given to swifts in minimal quantities. This volume should not exceed one teaspoon per day.

What to feed an adult swift? For feeding, you can add mealworms grown using pure raw materials to its menu. During the day, their number should not exceed 3 pieces. However, it is worth remembering that such worms should be pressed down a little before serving. This is due to the fact that the larvae of these beetles have very strong jaws that can damage the bird’s esophagus. Also, in order not to harm the swift, the heads of the mealworms can simply be cut off.

Earthworms are a dangerous food for swifts. Birds can pick up helminths from them.

Nutrition in the absence of insects

So, you have a swift. What to feed this bird at home? Unfortunately, swifts' diet should consist only of insects. Any other products cause irreparable damage to their body. Porridges, various feed mixtures or mash are not only unable to replace natural nutrition, but also cause the slow death of the bird.

But sometimes a person who has found a bird that has fallen or nested is faced with the question: “What to feed the swift chick in order to support the vital functions of its body in the coming hours, until the insects it needs are found?” In the first couple of days, your feathered pet can be treated to baby food puree made from beef or turkey. Give it to the bird using an insulin syringe. Very young chicks are fed every hour. In this case, the volume of puree at a time should be from 0.3 to 0.5 ml.

You should not give grains and bread to your feathered pets. Swifts also do not like ready-made food intended for insectivorous birds. Reviews from those who care for these birds warn against using these products, as they can cause poisoning.

Making mixtures

If you have had a black swift for several days now, what should you feed it to keep your feathered pet healthy and active? As mentioned above, you can’t do without insects here. However, in addition to this, additional minerals and vitamins must be present in the diet. In order to enrich food with elements necessary for the health of the swift, special mixtures should be prepared. Recipes for some of them are given below:

1. The mixture for the swift includes finely grated boiled chicken eggs, lean beef, and mealworms, chopped with scissors. Ant pupae are also added here. Instead of mealworms, the mixture can be enriched with insects caught in nature, fresh bloodworms or pre-scalded maggots.
2. This recipe has a wide variety of products, so it is especially good for keeping swifts for a long time. In this case, the mixture includes 20% raw lean ground beef, 25% hard-boiled chicken egg, pre-grated, 20% non-acidic, preferably boiled and squeezed cottage cheese, 20% ant pupae or mealworms, 10% finely grated carrots and 5 % baby formula.
3. Another mixture rich in vitamins and minerals includes 30% minced beef heart, 25% chopped hard-boiled chicken eggs, 15% cottage cheese, 15% grated carrots, 10% insects and 5% baby formula.
4. For black swift chicks aged 3-6 weeks, the mixture includes: 2-3 house crickets, 3-4 drones, half a wax moth larva, several flies and their larvae, and one-eighth of a teaspoon of crushed dried insects.

The prepared products are rolled into balls the size of peas, and 4-5 pieces are given per feeding. It is also important not to forget to water your feathered pet. This should be done after each feeding, dropping 4-5 drops of water into the beak from a pipette. You can go another way. Drinking may not be given at all if the balls are pre-moistened in water before feeding.

How to prepare food for swifts?

Before handling products for birds, you should thoroughly wash your hands using a disinfectant. For each feeding, food should be taken only freshly prepared.

When using dried insects, they are first cleaned by selecting and removing foreign particles in the form of branches and stone fragments. After this, the bugs or spiders are placed in warm water and then dried on a sieve. Do the same with frozen insects, bringing their temperature to room temperature.

At the next stage of cooking, all ingredients are laid out on a plate. In this case, you should pay attention to the smell of food. Rotten insects are not suitable for swifts as food. When preparing food pellets, crushed fly larvae can act as a binder.

Number of meals

How many times should you feed a swift at home? Small and weakened chicks are given food every hour throughout the day from six in the morning to ten in the evening. In this case, the food should be small portions of ground bugs. Strong and mature swifts feed less frequently, every two to three hours. It is important that the bird is fed sufficiently densely. To do this, she needs to completely fill her goiter. And this can be done only by giving the maximum amount of feed.

The crop in most birds is part of the esophagus. In this zone, food is accumulated and stored, which helps the swift not to be distracted from its hunt. They learn about the filling of the crop by feeling a small (pea-sized) ball on the bird’s neck. As a rule, a typical meal is equal to five cockroaches or ten medium-sized crickets.

Feeding technique

A strong and healthy swift chick feeds actively. It literally pounces on the person's hand holding the food. It is most convenient to give food to such birds using tweezers.

Weakened swifts, even if they are very hungry, do not open their beaks themselves. They are given food either from a finger or from a syringe. But first of all, the haircut is fixed like a shawarma using a napkin. Next, they open its beak with a fingernail, where food is placed. Such manipulations are successful. Even very weakened chicks begin to swallow insect mush with pleasure. After feeding, it is advisable to drop a few drops of water on the root of the bird's tongue. All described manipulations must be done carefully and gently. This is necessary in order not to bend or break the fragile tissues of the beak. Adult emaciated swifts are fed in the same way as chicks, giving them semi-liquid soft food from insects.

17.7.2017, 22:17

Swift, lying on the asphalt 07/15/2017. I feed only maggots and water (which is not recommended to feed swifts).
Appears to be 23 days old and weighs 34 grams.

In Veliky Novgorod, is it possible to find stores where you can buy house or banana crickets, or ant pupae?

Someone can take him, because it’s hard to feed him with two hands, he doesn’t want to eat himself.

friend_afoni

18.7.2017, 10:35

And if you take it to where you found it and plant it next to it on a tree branch, maybe it’s just a fledgling?

18.7.2017, 11:04

Swift is an exception)
I have already read everything I can and need to know about swifts. Swifts very rarely fall to the ground, because they are not always able to take off.

friend_afoni

18.7.2017, 11:43

So this is understandable, but maybe this is a fledgling that was sitting on a tree and fell

18.7.2017, 11:54

I assume that if you find the tree where it was found and plant it on it, then at that very moment the young shear will try to jump to the ground, receiving injuries, and there is nothing for it to do on the ground.
It will be the same with the nest.
Only if someone doesn't find him again.

friend_afoni

18.7.2017, 13:20

Well, here you need to google what shearers do at that age

18.7.2017, 13:42

I’ve already googled everything, it’s still about 20 days to grow it, after which it will be ready to fly away, but you need to feed it correctly (i.e. recommended insects for swifts), otherwise the feathers will fall out or even worse.
If you let him go, it means letting him die, and it didn’t matter whether he picked him up from the asphalt or not (there shouldn’t be swifts on the ground).

Now I’ll go to a couple more pet stores, but I’m unlikely to find the insects I need.

I wrote here with 2 questions, where to buy crickets and ant pupae.
And maybe someone in our city has experience in keeping swifts.

Because with the diet that I feed the young shearlings will not live long, and it is difficult to feed (fix the beak), and they will not eat on their own.

18.7.2017, 15:39

I went to 4 pet stores, they don’t have them and they say that I’m unlikely to find them. Somewhere they advised to order from St. Petersburg.
The swift has become less active and often sleeps.

friend_afoni

18.7.2017, 15:50

Try asking this man, he knows everything about birds, maybe he can tell you where to get one or some other way out
https://vk.com/id7337862

Another option is to buy maggots at a fishing store, grind them or cut them. You can also remove flies from maggots - this is also good food.
And fishing stores may sell mealworms.

And to stop hunger, give low-fat cottage cheese (only real one) for now.

18.7.2017, 16:25

Thank you very much, I'll ask.
I’m trying to remove flies from maggots, and it takes ~8 days.
Mealworms are a good option, just need to find where to buy them.
You can try low-fat cottage cheese to stop your hunger, but almost everywhere they write that only insects.

And so the swift does not digest some maggots, so they “crawl out” (I break them up and kill them so that they don’t move in the stomach).
And he’s cold at home, so he put out a warm bottle.

18.7.2017, 16:40

Still preferred as food for insectivorous birds "mealworms", flour beetle larvae (tenebrio molitor), which can be bought at any pet store.

But I must warn you that you should not feed these worms in large quantities and for a long period of time (more than 2-3 days). Their chitin contains substances that ultimately cause serious intoxication of the liver and kidneys. Mealworms are also a poorly balanced diet, leading to deficiencies and skeletal damage.

When fed exclusively on mealworms, songbirds develop chronic eye infections that can lead to loss of vision and head ulcers, inflammatory swelling of the paws, especially the joints, and abscesses.

Mealworms - but only the lightest and softest ones, just molted - can be given to insectivorous birds as a supplement in very limited quantities (i.e. no more than 4-5 per day) or in an emergency situation for a very short time, two or three days, if It is impossible to purchase crickets right away.

Fly larvae, sold in fishing stores as “white maggots”, are completely unsuitable for feeding insectivorous birds.

The chitin of the larvae resembles hard rubber, and the bird's stomach is not able to destroy them, so they pass out with excrement almost undigested.
Fly larvae are unacceptable as food even if they are chopped before feeding, since they have a very high fat content, which means an extremely unbalanced diet.

Swifts raised on fly larvae are generally extremely thin and have deficiency symptoms as well as fatal plumage defects. Usually these are small, barely noticeable areas of the fan with increased fragility (as if the fan was not completely cut by a sharp blade); the flight feather breaks in this place at the slightest load.

In short, I kill a bird with this food

18.7.2017, 16:53

Well, is it a problem to find an anthill?

18.7.2017, 17:23

I can look at the number of ant pupae, but only on the exits.

I watched swifts from the balcony as they hunted ordinary mosquitoes. Maybe take a net, catch them and feed them?

18.7.2017, 17:41

Mistake 3. Feeding the swift maggots or bloodworms.

Swifts are insectivorous birds. But maggots and bloodworms are absolutely not suitable for them, as are earthworms, beetles, wasps, spiders, caddis flies, and so on.
Maggot is a worm with a very hard skin, which is not digested in the swift's stomach, causes intestinal blockage, and the swift dies. Even if you cut the maggot into pieces, the risk still remains. In addition, maggot is very fatty and will quickly damage the swift’s liver.
Bloodworms are a low-calorie and contaminated food. Consists of almost nothing but water. You will never feed a swift bloodworm if you only feed it kilograms of it. And the swift will quickly pick up helminths and some kind of infection from the bloodworms. The same goes for earthworms.
Swifts have a very delicate esophagus and stomach; only soft food is digested. In nature, swifts eat flies, moths, and mosquitoes.

Mistake 4. Feeding the swift mosquitoes and flies.

People give 4-5 flies or mosquitoes a day (as many as they could catch), and think that they have fed the swift.
Flies are indeed the natural food of swifts, but during the day a swift in flight eats about 300-400 of them. Birds in general actually eat a lot: per day, any bird should eat food = 1/3 of its own weight in volume. That is, a swift with a weight norm of 45 grams should eat 15 grams of food per day. If the swift eats less, it begins to become exhausted and dies within a week.

Well, I’m now trying to get rid of mosquitoes along with flies. But I won’t be able to catch many mosquitoes.

Error 5. Instead of insects, give swifts “substitutes”: cottage cheese, egg, beef.

All these products are successfully used when feeding chicks of other species - corvids, passerines, etc. - are absolutely not suitable for swifts. All of them cause metabolic disorders; over time, the swifts’ liver and kidneys fail, and calcium deposition begins in the tissues. The chicks develop crooked feathers that fall out over time. The tail of those fed on eggs and cottage cheese is cut - overgrown, but the wings, on the contrary, are short and undergrown. Such chicks are no longer able to fly, and remain at home for permanent residence.

friend_afoni

18.7.2017, 17:42

If we go to the dacha tomorrow in the evening, I can shake the anthills, there are a lot of them there, and I’ll bring them to CT in the morning. If the bird survives of course...
It’s interesting, but chicks should be given water, but adult birds drink

It’s clear about food above, but anything is better than starving completely while there is no alternative