Standard diet mix. The author feeds a custom made dry mix consisting of: 20 parts composite soft-bill pellets, 20 parts puppy chow, 4 parts each of oat meal, poultry starter and muesli breakfast cereal, 2 parts each of whey and sunflower seeds, one part each of brewer’s years, hazel nuts/almonds, dried fruit (papaya), poppy seed, wheat bran, wheat germ, soy protein powder and 1/2 part bee pollen. Pellets and all coarse items are ground up.
To make the food more palatable it should be moistened. Grated apple, carrots, hard boiled egg, cottage cheese or fruit juice is added to make the diet soft and crumbly. A supply for several days can be prepared and stored in a refrigerator. A slice of orange or a halved apple is provided separately and partly consumed, particularly in hot weather. Many other fruits and some vegetables can be tried.
Egg cake is a good supplement to the diet of animal protein and energy, especially during times of high demand and during the winter when fewer insects are offered. The parents feed this egg cake as the first non-live insect food to their fledglings with excellent results. Mineral/vitamin powder adheres to the cake very well to ensure ingestion. The egg cake is routinely eaten first.
Egg Cake Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line four loaf pans (about 3-1/4 x 7 x 2-1/4 inch high) with wax paper. Do not bake it as one large cake as it will not bake through. Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups margarine, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 6 eggs, 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of soy protein/flour (from health food stores) and 1 teaspoon baking Powder. Some poppy seed can be added to entice seed eaters to accept the egg cake, which they will use to rear their chicks.
Cream margarine and add sugar. Beat until very fluffy and light (this seems to be important). Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each. Add dry ingredients and divide batter between loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes or until done. Take out of the oven and leave the pans for about 10 minutes. Take loaves out of the pans and cool on racks with paper left on. Let cool and feed or freeze for future use. The loaf in use is kept in a refrigerator in a plastic bag to retain its moisture.
