Duck_Soup

Duck Soup/Chicken Gravy

Many people feed their ferret(s) a soup concoction. Some call it Duck Soup. Some call it Chicken (or Beef or whatever meat they are using) Gravy. The reason for feeding your ferret a soup is that it is nutritious and it something that can be feed through a syringe if your ferret quits eating because it is sick. It's important to get your ferret eating soup BEFORE it becomes ill. Ferrets imprint on food and trying to get one to eat something it isn't used to can be very difficult and stressful for both the ferret and you. For that reason, many people feed their ferret(s) soup as a treat, so that if the time comes that soup is all the ferret will eat, it already recognizes it as food.

There are many variations of soup. The EASIEST SOUP RECIPE is equal parts Gerber's Stage 2 Chicken or Turkey Baby Food and Hills/Science Diet canned A/D and enough water to thin it out like a soup. Many ferrets like their soup warm, but not hot.

I've listed a couple of my soup recipes below. Either one is fairly easy to make.

SOUP RECIPE I:

Makes approximately 1.5 cups of soup

Ingredients:

1 jar GERBER'S STAGE 2 CHICKEN AND GRAVY

An amount of SCIENCE DIET A/D prescription canned food equal to the jar of baby food

A sliver of UNSALTED BUTTER and 1/2 teaspoon of HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM OR a larger pat of Unsalted Butter or 1 tsp of Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 Tsp of all natural ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN POWDER (with no sugar/sugar substitute added)

1 Tsp of UNCLE JIM'S DUCK SOUP MIX

Water

Utensils/Appliances:

Teaspoon (I use one that I would use for eating food, not the measuring spoon kind)

Coffee Grinder (optional, I use a coffee grinder for kibble and UJDSM because my ferrets don't like any lumps in their soup)

Bowl

Storage Containers or Ice Cube Trays

Microwave

Grind the Uncle Jim's Duck Soup Mix in the coffee grinder until no lumps appear. You can also let the Duck Soup Mix sit in some water for a while to dissolve the lumps. In a bowl, mix the baby food and A/D. In the baby food jar, I add the Soy Protein Powder and Uncle Jim's Duck Soup and then enough water to almost fill the jar, put the lid on shake vigorously to dissolve these ingredients. Add to the bowl. Microwave until warm - start out at 10 seconds and increase by 5 seconds until warm. Add butter to melt it. Add whipping cream. Add enough water to make the mixture soupy. The temperature of the water added is dependent on the temperature of the microwaved soup mixture. My ferrets like their soup warm, but not hot. Put soup on a deep plate or in shallow dish as most ferrets don't like to put their heads inside a dish to eat soup. I find large pie plates work well for feeding my ferrets soup.

SOUP RECIPE II:

Makes a whole lotta soup.

Ingredients:

10 lbs fresh CHICKEN QUARTERS or any other combination of chicken parts

5 lbs GROUND TURKEY

1 lb BEEF LIVER

1 container CHICKEN LIVERS

1 package CHICKEN GIZZARDS and HEARTS

1 1/2 cups HIGH QUALITY FERRET, CAT OR KITTEN KIBBLE

2 slightly heaping tablespoons all natural ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN POWDER (with no sugar/sugar substitute added)

2 slightly heaping tablespoons UNCLE JIM'S DUCK SOUP MIX or Nupro

Water

When serving soup, have on hand either HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM OR UNSALTED BUTTER

Utensils/Appliances:

Tablespoon (I use one that I would use for serving food, not the measuring spoon kind)

Pressure Cooker

Coffee Grinder (optional)

Vita-Mixer or other mixer that will liquify bones

Large Bowl

Storage Containers or Ice Cube Trays

Microwave

Pressure cook chicken parts for 60 to 90 minutes with about an inch of water in the cooker. I cook 5 chicken thighs for 75 minutes.

Finely grind Kibble and Uncle Jim's Duck Soup Mix in coffee grinder. Depending on the size of your coffee grinder, you may have to do this in more than one batch. Don�t have a coffee grinder? If you don't have a grinder, you can cover the ferret food and Duck Soup Mix with water until softened. Add to mixer.

Put the Isolated Protein Powder in a small container with a lid and add some water, put the lid on and shake vigorously to dissolve the protein powder. Add to mixer.

Add 3 to 4 cups of water to start out with to mixer and grind/mix until smooth. More water may be necessary to get the desired smooth consistency. Pour in large bowl.

To the mixer add 2 or 3 chicken parts fresh from the pressure cooker and one cup water. Mix until smooth. Pour into bowl with first mixture.

Add remaining chicken, water from the pressure cooker and enough water to make 1 cup liquid. Mix until smooth. Add to bowl of other mixtures. Stir until well mixed. Pour into storage containers or ice cube trays and freeze.

When feeding the soup to your ferret(s), heat desired amount in the microwave until warm. Add a very thin pat of butter or a scant teaspoon of heavy whipping cream and water until thinned. Serve.

A note about water:

The temperature of the water added before serving is dependent on the temperature of the microwaved soup mixture. If the soup is hot, I add cool or cold water. If the mixture is warm, I add warm water. If it's on the cool side, I add hot water. I add the water after heating so that I can easily adjust the temperature of the soup.

To aid dehydration, you can add Pedialyte or other children�s electrolyte drink instead of water. Be aware of sugar/sweetener contents of these drinks.

A note about other ingredients:

I found the Isolated Soy Protein Powder in the health supplements section of a Kroger grocery store in the Midwest. (UNfortunately, they no longer carry that product) I asked Dr Bruce Williams his opinion of adding isolated soy protein powder to my soup. He stated as long as soy protein isn't the major source of protein in a ferret's diet, he didn't have a problem with supplementing with soy protein and that it is a good source of protein.

The Uncle Jim's Duck Soup Mix can be ordered on-line from The Ferret Store or purchased at Petco.

A/D can be purchased at most veterinary clinics without a prescription. There are no medications in A/D.

If you choose to add kibble to your soup, make sure it contains taurine. Taurine is essential for ferret health.

Click on the yellow titles below to go to these websites:

Spahn Ranch Gravylicious Chicken Gravy This site contains a pictoral essay of making Chicken Gravy.

MiamiFerret Duck Soup Recipes includes Bob Church's Chicken Gravy