HELP - Baby robin out of the nest!

[animallover00077]

Yesterday evening i went out back to break up a fight between my collie and my bassett, and my mom noticed something moving in the grass it was a baby bird & i was all for trying to save it. So i went out to the shed got the latter put it up to the tree climbed up the tree a little higher so i could reach the nest i got up to the nest and neither parent was around so i tried to return the baby to its home but there was no room in the nest my dad says they must have pushed her out (she was smaller than the other two). so i brought her in for a few hours while deciding what to do with her. no rescue centers would take in a baby robin because these sort of things happen daily and they would have to many baby bird. eventually we decided to put the baby back by the tree in hopes the parents would feed it (and no the whole story were if you touch a baby bird And the parents wont tend to it is not true it must have branched from a case like this (i asked a wildlife expert on a fieldtrip i went on in 5th grade). anyways we were hoping they would tend to her but they must not have either that or she froze to death (it rained last night) so this morning i buried her then let my dogs out to go potty and they were sniffing like crazy around the tree so i went out to check yet again and there was a second baby bird (the 2nd smallest one )it is currently sitting on my lap with a huge attitude (it has quite the personality) i don't want to make the same mistake and cost this baby its life

does any one know how to care for a robin chick if so tips would be appreciated

 

edit - kmw - made the title relevant to the post

[kmw]

I would put the second baby back in the nest.  We had a third baby dumped out of the nest earlier this year (much smaller than the other two), I put him back in, and we found him dead under the nest a few days later.  Either the mom didn't have enough resources to care for three little ones or there was something wrong with him and she knew it, so she abandoned him. 

If the second baby looks similarly developed as the first baby, back into the nest.  It's possible they're starting to fly, so it's a fledgling, rather than a dumped baby.  The best place for baby animals is with their parents.  Not on laps. 

[Eileen]

Here's a link to baby bird development, so you can see how old your bird is:
http://www.messingerwoods.org/quickreference.htm

If the bird only has pinfeathers, and you see mostly skin, it's a nestling and should go back into the nest.
If the bird is feathered and can stand up, it's a fledgling. If it's a fledgling, no point putting it back into the nest, as it will only keep jumping out. (It's like putting your
15 year old into a crib - you can, but they are not going to stay in it!)

Fledglings spend a few days on the ground, with their parents around teaching them how to look for food, who to be afraid of; they hop around and practice flying. It takes a few days to a week to learn how to fly. It's a very crucial part of their development time, that they have to spend with their parents.

Unless the bird is injured (which would be evidenced by an obviously hanging wing or no use of a leg, if you see the bird upside down or on its side, unable to right itself, or if you see flies buzzing around it - those are all indications that something is going on) - if you don't see any of that, just put the bird back and let its parents do their job.
And enjoy watching them grow up - robins are so very sweet.

no rescue centers would take in a baby robin because these sort of things happen daily and they would have to many baby bird

I just want to explain this statement.
I can tell you from my center, we are getting approximately 30 calls every day about baby birds that are on the ground. If they are healthy, they need to be raised by their parents. As much as we humans want to help, they don't need us to help them. Birds have fledged since the beginning of time and have done just fine!
When a rehab center (or rescue center) comes into play is when the bird gets injured - not just because it is there. There is always the consideration when a bird is raised by humans that it will ever live a normal life. Sure, we can feed it, but how do we teach it to be afraid of cats, dogs, cars... We hope and rely that instinct kicks in, but there are discussions that hand reared wild birds might never breed in adulthood, as they will always be "different" than ones who went through normal channels being raised.
Also, if rescue centers took in healthy birds just because they were there,  it would compromise the care of their injured patients as there wouldn't be enough time/hands to go around.

A little patience (ie: people keeping cats indoors especially during baby season, walking their dogs on a leash until the birds are flighted) goes a long way in helping baby birds live a normal life.
It's hard to share a world where we are building all over native wildlife's natural homes, but it's worth it to learn how to live together.

So it's not just that they would have too many birds, it's that if there is no injury, there is no reason to take a baby bird away from its parents.
Hard as it is for us to restrain ourselves to help, it *is* the right thing to do.