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Formulas
hopefully we all have stopped adding exces-
sive vitamins to commercial formulas where
calculated amounts are already present.
Is there another revolution Even with the sporadic problems that
on the horizon? some companies have experienced, where
too much Vitamin D3 accidentally ended
by Mark Moore up in the final product, it seems that com-
mercial hand-feeding formulas have come
When Rick Jordan wrote the book on a long way, and have revolutionized hand-
hand-feeding parrots back in the early 80s, feeding in psittacine nurseries. In fact, today
he was a staunch advocate of home-made for- there are even species specific formulas and
mulas, as many of us were. This was despite higher fat versus higher protein formulas
the fact that there were several, commercial being produced. But this too requires some
instant formulas available that were being knowledge on the breeders part, regard-
used on parrot chicks and with good results. ing the needs of specific birds, if they are
But a skeptic he was, and therefore his home- to be utilized properly. We have learned a
made formulas, despite burning out several lot about avian nutrition over the past few
decades, but putting that into practice is Mark Moore with baby Black Palm Cockatoo
blenders annually, and despite that it was
probably never consistent in nutrition from not always an easy task, especially in a mixed
one batch to another, was his choice. collection.
though they simply chew up their food and
Those of you that have been around for a The one thing that any experienced hand-
feed it to the chicks whole. So, of course we
while might remember your favorite hand- feeder has to admit is that when the parents
have tried that too, with dismal failures that
feeding formula recipe. Many of them had feed the chicks, they are almost always fatter,
often included dehydration of the chicks,
some type of monkey chow or primate chow grow faster and seem more robust. Despite
crop problems, slow or static digestion, and
base, and were topped off with human baby trying many different nutrients, and many
more. The addition of digestive enzymes or
foods, peanut butter, water, and maybe some different fat levels or protein levels, parent-
probiotics did not help either when trying
type of vegetable or fruit. Many formulas reared chicks will most certainly grow faster
to feed a diet more closely resembling that
had to be cooked to boiling, then cooled or and look better. At weaning time, hand-
fed by the parents. So, what the heck was
frozen until time of use. I remember freezing reared and parent-reared chicks seem to be
the secret? What do parrots do that helps
baby formula in ice cube trays and then heat- about the same in weight and size; but it does
the chicks digest normal foods better in the
ing what was needed for each feeding. Even take a bit longer for those reared on commer-
nestbox?
though this was a lot of extra work, for many, cial or even homemade formulas to achieve
We do know that most parrots will feed
it was preferable over the instant formulas their adult mass.
mostly liquid for a day or two after hatching.
that we knew so little about. I think the hesi- These differences have always puzzled
They may feed mushed up corn or some other
tation was that there really was so little actu- us. Ive studied the research on crop milk
super hydrated food, but for sure there is a lot
ally known about the dietary needs of the which seems to indicate that parrots really
of liquid in the crop of tiny, newly hatched
baby birds, we all tried to compensate in our dont produce it, not in the sense that colum-
baby birds. As the chick grows, even slightly,
own way. Of course that was not to say that biformes do. We continue to speculate what
the parents tend to begin feeding chunkier
our formula were nutritionally better, only the differences are in parent-fed diets and
foods to the chicks. At this point, the crop
that it worked for us and our babies looked commercial hand-feeding diets. There is a
seems to be full almost round the clock. This
good and seemed very healthy. theory that parent birds can force food, and
led to the suspicion that the parents stuff
As the next decade rolled around, many thus, nutrients, up from deeper in the diges-
them full of chunky foods and then only
of us got further and further behind in the tive tract when they regurgitate for their
feed liquid until the crop contents begin to
nursery as out collections grew. Time man- young. But collecting and studying crop con-
digest better. Some of this may be true, but
agement gave us the perfect opportunity to tents of parent-fed chicks has yet to really
it is not the main mechanism that differenti-
investigate some of the instant commercial uncover any secrets that could be used to
ates between hand-fed and parent-fed chicks.
formulas, and we did. Most of them that close the gap between hand-fed and parent-
After all, commercial formulas are chocked
were tried worked well, but many of us still fed chicks.
full of nutrients and vitamins. In fact, when
had that internal need to add something Close observation of the methods, or bet-
you compare the crop contents of a ten day
as it was being prepared. So for every dif- ter yet, the consistency of foods fed to chicks
old nest hatched chick with formula ingre-
ferent brand tried, we also added our own in the nestbox reveals one very obvious dif-
dients, the formula would definitely be more
twists, be it peanut butter or papaya or even ference: the parents feed chunky foods, not
nutritious.
vitamin powders. Of course some of us have liquids to the chicks. This is not to say there
Over the years I have tried to add differ-
since learned of the risks involved with over- are no liquids, but the consistency of the food
ent things to formulas to make them work
doing vitamins and even the toxic effects fed is not formula-like at all. It looks as
just a little bit better. I realized that there is
AFA Watchbird 47
a method as well as a consistency issue overall healthiness after beginning to con- into the formula should be done within a few
to be considered and implemented. Through sume weaning diets. days of hatch, and continued at least once a
conversations with Katie McElroy and other Putting all of this together with the new day during the entire growth period. If the
Palm cockatoo breeders it suddenly came way that Katy McElroy has shared with us, digestive tract is conditioned in this way,
to light that there is a way to feed baby par- as well as a few others who were hand-feed- it can eventually handle a very thick, and
rots in the nursery in a similar way as that in ing Palm cockatoo chicks, it dawned on me course diet.
the nestbox. For many years Palm cockatoos there may be some mechanism in the diges- Using a food processor, we take raw
were something of a nightmare to hand-rear. tive tract of baby parrots that is triggered, or hulled sunflower kernels, macadamia nuts,
Many would simply not do well after a cer- simply works better, if there is roughage in almonds, pine nuts, hazel nuts, Brazil nuts
tain point and would suffer severe anemia the diet. Experimenting with forms of fiber and sometimes even raw peanuts and grind
and other nutritional issues. But why was simply did not do the trick either; the for- them into a pulp mixture slightly more
this species the only one that suffered from mula had to be chunky and have larger grit- course than a heaping helping of southern
this problem? That simply did not make like consistencies to work. grits. This is our smaller grind and it is used
sense. We learned fast that introducing chunky to introduce new chicks onto the chunky for-
As I pondered this situation, I realized elements to hand-feeding formula had to be mulas. For about a week or two, this smaller
there were other species, though less criti- done correctly. Experimentation with babies grind is used at least two or three times a day
cally affected, that did not do that well on that had already been on liquid formula for to get the digestive tract used to processing
commercial formulas, nor some of our home- a few weeks showed that the addition of more bulky foods. We have found it is eas-
made formulas, alone; Hyacinth macaws, ground nuts or other chunky ingredients ier to prepare the commercial formulas as
Green-winged macaws, Caiques, Golden only caused crop stasis. Apparently the diges- directed, and then introduce the ground nuts
conures and others came to mind. Most of tive tract gets used to a certain consistency into the already prepared slurry, making sure
them survived and eventually were healthy, or it adjusts to liquid formula within a few not to make it so thick that the chicks can-
but they had slow, difficult starts, or were weeks of hatch. This is probably the reason not digest it or that it causes dehydration. As
just not as robust as I thought they should that most of us, having tried to feed chunky chicks grow, the amount of nuts is increased
be early on. And, like the Palm cockatoos foods in the past, have failed. Perhaps a very as is the coarseness of the grind.
that did survive our formulas in the nurs- slow introduction would work at this stage, For day three chicks on up to a couple of
ery, at weaning time and shortly thereafter, but it appears that beginning to introduce weeks, and for most species, we usually intro-
these birds gained their strength and general small flakes or chunks of nuts and vegetables duce a heaping tablespoon full of ground nuts
AFA Watchbird 49