Did we kill it or was it dying anyway?

[Stringmaker]

For some time now we have had a blackbird with a club foot visit us. He was in good health apart from that and used to hop about quite happily when he was down looking for worms or seed.

Yesterday morning we spotted him sitting looking a bit forlorn under a neighbour's tree, and when he was still there a couple of hours later we were a bit concerned as that is not normal behaviour. He didn't seem to be injured, just apathetic and so we left him alone. Later in the afternoon he appeared on our front garden and despite our best encouragement he didn't eat or want to roost somewhere safer then ground level.

When it got dark and a whole lot colder he was still just sitting on the grass at the mercy of whatever might fancy a blackbird snack, so we took the decision to try and protect him overnight by putting him in a box with some hay, seed and water.

Alas he didn't make it, but I like to think that at least he didn't die cold and injured.

There is the niggling thought though that we may have traumatised him so much by trying to help that we aided his exit from this world.

What do you think?

 

[British Red]

It was dying.

We often see wood pigeon, partridge and other birds just sitting listless like that. Left alone they die or are eaten - not always having died first. My course of action is generally to end their suffering as quickly as possible. Birds and animals die of natural causes all the time.

 

[ged]

You didn't kill it. It's always sad when you lose one but you did the best you could. If the box was dark inside the bird was under a lot less stress than otherwise it might have been.

It sounds like an infection to me, possibly salmonella whic is very common amongst birds and some are very susceptible to it.

If you feed the birds, make sure places where birds congregate (feeders etc) are kept clean to avoid spreading disease. That 's about all you can do.

 

[Stringmaker]

Thanks chaps; I kind of thought that it was dying anyway.

It was a dark box in a dark garage so stress reduction in his final hours was pretty much all we could do for it.

 

[maddave]

Yep it was dying. Animals have a knack of knowing when their time is near and many will fast just to make death come a little quicker. You did a good thing allowing it to pass away warm and at peace.