We have just rescued an abandoned black chick found at the side of the road. What can we feed it tonight?

Question

It looks like a regular yellow baby chicken but is black, no sign of feathers yet just a ball of black fluff!

Answer 1

instant oatmeal, flaked infant cereal, or other whole-grain cereals. You can put whole grains (rice, wheat, barley, old-fashioned oats, anything) into the blender and blend them slightly. Dont blend it completely to a powder

Answer 2

Call your Wildlife Reservation or a Ranger and ask them or a farmer, a farmer is very good to ask that.

Answer 3

Watered down chick feed at a feeder store or even some petstores. Also watered down dog or cat food can work if you need something easier to get. Make sure its very mushy so the baby won't hurt itself. You can also put marbles in the water bowl till it learns thats where it drinks. Make sure you also have heat on it at all times to keep it warm.

Answer 4

Chickens eat a lot of things. Feed stores usually carry feed made especially for baby chicks, which is the best way to go. In the mean time, you can try feeding him fresh or canned corn, or cereal such as wheat flakes (make sure it has NO sugar, never give a bird sugar). If he's reluctant to eat (before or after you try the chick feed), try tapping your finger next to the food and saying "tap-tap-tap-tap" or "peck-peck-peck-peck". Mother hens usually peck the ground and make short clucking noises to encourage their chicks to eat, he might wait for you to do the same. You do NOT need to "mush down" his food or get it wet in any way before he eats it; chicks aren't like other baby birds where the parents regurgitate food, they eat solid food from day one. All you really need to be concerned about is that the food is small enough for him to eat; that's partly why they make feed specifically for chicks, it's smaller than normal chicken feed so the chicks can eat it more easily. Just make sure he has a shallow saucer of water to drink from.