Feeding

This feeding guide applies to both wild, rescued and captive-bred corvids. It is intended merely a “guide”, though the food listed is what we use succesfully here at Corvid Aid. We have tried other foods, but this diet is the best we have found so the birds remain happy and healthy.

We use Orlux Remiline granules as the main part of the diet and find this to be the best food for the birds to have in their bowls at all times, as it lasts a long time without going stale – and keeps the birds in good condition.

The adult larger corvids (carrion crows, rooks, ravens) get a day-old chick in the morning (these can be bought frozen from places that sell raptor and reptile foods).

This is an important part of their diet as they do eat carrion in the wild and it also gives them the opportunity to cast pellets – in much the same way as owls and other raptors do (yes, crows do this).

They also get a small amount of mealworms and wax-worms each day – not too many of these though! They also enjoy the odd live cricket which they enjoy catching.

The birds are also fed turkey mince and scrambled egg, with a small amount of grated cheese as an addition to their main diet for variety.

We do not feed any of our birds dog food, dry or tinned. We do, however, give youngsters tinned cat meat (chunks in jelly) until they get used to eating the chicks. Young corvids tend to just play with these until they get a little older!

Jays and magpies tend to enjoy fruit, but the larger crows do not take to it as readily.

You can also give your corvids left over table-scraps in small amounts.

We use soaked cat biscuits (Go-Cat) when hand-rearing. It has proved a huge success with the youngsters and they grow up healthy and strong – the adults love them too! They make an ideal food reward for the older birds. They soak better than other biscuits we have tried and are a perfect rearing food, as they contain all the goodness growing corvids need, are non-messy and do not break up when soaked. We also supplement this with turkey mince and the odd mealworm to add variety.

We add a calcium supplement to the drinking water twice a week as corvids can suffer calcium deficiency, which can lead to a pigmentation problem with their feathers.

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