By
Alicia McWatters PhD, CNC

Handfeeding Formula - The recipe below is based on the adult mash diet listed above. It is the formula I feed my babies. I add a probiotic supplement to their morning feeding during the first few weeks of life. Other supplements which may be added are; liquid or powdered garlic, echinacea, and vitamin C.

You can modify this recipe for feeding only one bird.

HANDFEEDING FORMULA INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups "mash"
• 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (fresh-made, certified organic)
• 1/3 cup sesame oil (cold-pressed)
• 2 tbs. calcium magnesium liquid
• 1/2 cup filtered water

All ingredients are placed in the blender and pureed.

The formula texture is thick, but it is easier to make it for older chicks and dilute it with more filtered water to feed day one chicks (very thin, broth-like); gradually reducing the filtered water as the babies grow older. Pour formula from the blender and into small Tupperware containers. Place all, but what is used in one day, in the freezer and thaw daily portions in advance. We never heat the formula any higher than the low side of a chick’s body temperature, which on average is 107 F. So the formula would normally be at the proper temperature for feeding at between 104-106 F. This retains more of the nutrients. Never bring to a boil! Prolonged heat over 105 degrees F destroys all enzymes. Cooking eliminates 100% of the enzymes in food. Spoon feeding is our method of choice for our babies, as we feel it is a more natural feeling for the bird to pump for its food, as it would when parent-fed.

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