How should feed be formulated in hwamei (Chinese laughingthrush) breeding?

The feed for hwamei should be comprehensively arranged and blended according to the food structure under wild conditions, combined with the actual situation of home rearing.

(1) Main food composition

The feed of artificially reared hwamei mainly includes cereal grains such as corn, rice, and millet, and supplementary animal feed includes eggs, breadworms, and other insects such as locusts, young cicadas, lvge, pine caterpillars, etc.

(2) Feed formulation ratios

There are many feed formulation plans for hwamei, which can be formulated as appropriate according to the feed actually available. First,

use cornmeal or rice meal and cooked eggs in a ratio of 6:2; second, use mixed flour and knead in cooked egg yolk, feeding 500 grams of flour mixed with 3 egg yolks; third, feed fried egg rice, generally 500 grams of millet or rice plus four eggs, with an additional 50 grams of meat residue. In addition, some insect feed needs to be added daily.

(3) Feed preparation methods

Take 500 grams of millet or rice and place it in a frying pan, roast and stir over low heat until a fragrant smell is detected, then beat four egg yolks with the egg whites removed, mix them into 50 grams of meat residue or silkworm chrysalis powder, stir evenly, pour into the rice, and stir thoroughly and evenly; when it is about 80% dry, rub it apart by hand and dry it in the air. In hot weather, mix cornmeal and pea flour with a small amount of eggs, steam it or make it into cakes and cook them, and after cooling, pinch it into powder form for feeding; in winter, cornmeal can be mixed with eggs and rice-shaped lean meat granules for feeding.

(4) Issues to note

1. Properly store the feed

All prepared feed should be stored in plastic trays or enamel trays, placed in a ventilated area and spread out to air, to prevent mildew, spoilage, deterioration, or other contamination.

2. Pay attention to keeping feed fresh

The various raw materials of the feed must be fresh, and it is strictly forbidden to use spoiled eggs or meat to process feed. In summer, when the weather is hot, the animal-based ingredients in the feed are prone to spoilage, so the storage time should not be too long. It is best to reduce the amount made at one time and increase the number of times it is made, basically achieving use immediately after preparation.

3. Keep the feed clean

For green feed such as melons and vegetables, be sure to wash them clean and dry them before feeding, to prevent pesticide contamination.