InTune Natural - Handfeeding Formula Hi Energy

Brown Rice, Soybean Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Dried Milk, Cane Sugar, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Dicalcium Phosphate, Bananas, Flaxseed, Casein, Brewer’s Dried Yeast, Dried Whey, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Macadamia Nut Oil, Dried Cultured Skim Milk, Natural Mango Flavor, DL-Methionine, L-lysine, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Lecithin, Wheat Germ Meal, Mixed Tocopherols (preservative), Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Niacin, L-Ascorbyl 2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product.

• Crude Protein (min.) 22%
• Crude Fat (min.) 10%
• Crude Fibre (max.) 2.5%
• Moisture (max.) 10%
• Omega-6 (min.) 10%
• Omega-3 (min.) 0.25%
• Vitamin E (min) 100 IU/kg
• DHA 0.05%
• Ascorbic acid 100mg/kg
• Total Lactic acid bacteria 9min) 2 x 105 cfu/g (Enterococcus faectium, Lactobacillius acidophilus)

Preparation - Before you begin hand feeding your baby birds(s), we recommend you have the following items at your disposal: Clean, sanitized mixing bowl for blending the hand feeding powder with water. Plastic feeding syringe(s) for delivery of the prepared formula. Thermometer for measuring water and mixed formula temperature. A heat source such as a brooder to keep baby birds warm after feeding. Paper towels and a food safe disinfectant.

FEEDING:

Higgins inTune Natural Hand Feeding is easy to prepare and feed but there are a few important steps to follow when preparing the formula:

1) Use only filtered water that has been heated to 120F (49C). If unsure of the water quality, boil for a minimum of 10 minutes, and then allow the water to cool to 120F before mixing with the hand feeding powder.

2) Follow the Mixing Chart on the back of the packaging to determine your bird's InTune-to-water mixing ratio. Once mixed thoroughly, allow the mixture to "rest" until an inserted thermometer reads a temperature of between 102F - 108F. This is the ideal and recommended temperature to begin feeding. Newly hatched to 2 day (24 to 48 hr) old chicks should be fed a "watered" formula, as shown in the Mixing Chart. The formula will separate at this ratio and is a normal occurrence.

Blend well prior to each filling of the syringe to ensure adequate delivery of nutrients. A newborn chick requires hydration and water soluble nutrients more than anything else at this early stage.

2 to 5 days old chicks will begin to eat a thicker formula at a ratio of 1 part inTune Hand Feeding to 3 to 4 parts water. 

The blended formula should have the consistency of baby food or apple sauce.

5 days old to the weaning stage, the formula should be mixed at an even thicker ratio (see Mixing Chart) and should be blended to the consistency of a creamy pudding.

3) Feed the blended formula with a clean, disinfected syringe, spoon, tube or any other instrument you're comfortable with. A separate syringe or utensil should be used for each individual baby chick or each incubator. Fill the feeding syringe and be sure to expel any air in the feeding end.

4) Always feed the baby bird from the left side of its mouth. This way the syringe is pointed towards the pharynx that leads to the esophagus. If you feed from the right side, the syringe will be pointed toward the trachea and food aspiration can occur. Aspiration can also occur when the baby bird is reluctant to feed or the formula is dispensed before the baby bird's natural feeding response (see #5 below).

5) Feed the blended formula with the baby bird's natural feeding response (head bobbing up and down rapidly). This is a natural way of feeding and decreases the likelihood of formula being inhaled.

6) Feed until the baby bird's crop is nicely rounded or it refuses any more food. Do not over feed as the chick could regurgitate its food.