Pet birds should always be brought inside at night, especially if they are on their own. Placing the cage in a warm area of the house, well away from heaters and open windows is a great way to keep them snug and warm at night. Pet birds are usually the easiest to help through the winter, most being kept in doors.
Feeding Winter Robins
You can offer robins frozen or fresh fruit. Place apple slices, raisins, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or cherries on the ground. Robins may not visit bird feeders. Young robins learn that fruit grows on trees and shrubs.
Provide Heat
Heat lamps and heated perches designed specifically for birds can be purchased, and birds quickly learn to sit near or on them when they're feeling cold. Make sure birds can't come in contact with the source of heat otherwise they might get burned.
Cage Covers
The covers, particularly winter-crafted covers, help trap the heat within the cage. It is best to put these kinds of covers over the cages when it is “night out”. That way, you can peep pet birds warm at night with a cover and in the daytime, they can enjoy the sun.
Robins feed on insects (especially beetles) and worms. You might notice one following you about as your dig up your garden hoping to nab a few worms as you unearth them. Robins can also eat fruit, seeds, suet, crushed peanuts, sunflower hearts and raisins. They particularly enjoy mealworms.
The more time you spend with them, the more your Robins will become familiar with you and grow trust. In time they will be confident enough to eat from your hand. To gain their trust, place their favourite food 2 - 3 meters away from you and let them get used to eating near you.
Uncooked porridge oats are also fine for a number of birds. Warning: never cook porridge oats, this makes them glutinous and could harden around a bird's beak.
As long as a dark, quiet and somewhat secluded area is provided for a bird to sleep in, most will be fine without being covered at night. Remember, however, that sleep is vital to a bird's well-being. If you are in doubt about your pet's reaction to being uncovered, play it safe and resume covering the cage at night.
Provide Shelter
Plant evergreen shrubs and coniferous trees that will provide suitable shelter throughout the winter. Consider building a brush pile to give birds a safe, sheltered place to roost.
Fluffing feathers
All cold-climate birds pack on body weight in the late summer and fall in anticipation of the long, cold winter, but feathers also play an important role. All birds stay warm by trapping pockets of air around their bodies.
A heated bird bath just might be the most important item you can put out in extremely cold weather. By offering a heated bird bath for your birds to drink from, you will not only help them survive but will also attract many more birds than you would with feeders alone.
Most birds can survive frigid temperatures as long as they have a reliable source of food, and in this area our native fruit-bearing plants typically have a bounty available for robins to eat throughout the winter. Robins maintain a body temperature of about 104℉ no matter the temperature outside.
Robins have survived blinding blizzards, ice storms, and nights as cold as 30 below zero without human help. Regardless of how cold it is on the outside of their feathers, their body temperature under the feathers is about 104 degrees.
“It's amazing, the way they survive winter is they fluff their feathers and get really big. Their internal temperature is 104° F and yet they can be in areas below freezing. That's how well their feathers insulate them; there can even be a 100-degree difference just through those layers of feathers.”
And, secondly, birds perceive blankets and sleep tents as nesting material. Just the thought of them being available starts making your bird go into hyper-hormonal overdrive all year long, exposing him to chronic health issues that could even cause him to die.
HOT WATER BOTTLE: Put hot water in a bottle and place the bottle in a sock or wrap with a cloth. This is a good solution if you were traveling or at the office.
Keep your bird's cage covered with a sheet or blanket on three sides and point the open side towards any heat source such as a fireplace or a sunny window. Smaller cages are easier to heat up than larger ones and are easier to re-position throughout the day as necessary. Don't put your bird too close to the fireplace.
All-natural heat treated pine, aspen and paper pellets that have nothing added in terms of colors, deodorizers or scents, and very little to no dust, are the safest to use with pet birds.
A benefit of covering your bird's cage at night is that it provides a regular period of privacy not usually allowed during the day. Further, it tends to keep the bird quiet in the early morning when it would otherwise become active and vocal. lf you now cover your bird's cage at night, continue to do so.
Like dogs on chains, caged birds crave freedom and companionship, not the cruel reality of forced solitary confinement for the rest of their very long lives. Driven mad from boredom and loneliness, caged birds often become aggressive and self-destructive.
Yes, they will! Your garden birds will thank you for many types of breakfast cereals. Cornflakes, bran flakes, Weetabix, Special K, Rice Crispies, will all go down well. Remember to crush up cereals to make them manageable for little beaks.
While there are many things robins will sample in the yard, it is equally important to note what foods they won't eat. American robins do not eat many seeds, and won't regularly visit feeders offering Nyjer seed, hummingbird nectar, mixed birdseed, cracked corn, safflower seed, or whole peanuts.
If you'd like to attract robins at bird feeders, feed them chopped apples, berries and mealworms. They don't eat birdseed. They prefer to forage for their food in lawns and open areas. Providing water is important for robins because they like to drink and bathe regularly.